Charter Flight Crash Near Balad Air Force Base (ER-26068)

Flight Details and Accident Sequence The aircraft was operating a charter flight from Adana, Turkey, to Balad Air Force Base, located 70 kilometers north of Baghdad. The flight carried 30 workers from Moldova, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine on behalf of the Turkish reconstruction company Kulak. The aircraft departed Adana Airport at 0600 local time for a planned 90-minute flight. During the approach, the crew encountered poor visibility caused by fog. Unable to locate the runway, the captain initiated a go-around. Minutes later, while attempting a second approach, the aircraft descended too low and crashed 2.5 kilometers short of the runway, bursting into flames. One passenger was seriously injured, and 34 other occupants were killed. ## Investigation Findings The official investigation stated that the cause of the accident and the exact position of the aircraft during the final segment could not be determined with certainty because the flight data recorder was not in the aircraft at the time of the accident.