What happened
A cargo flight traveling from London to Bahrain, which included a scheduled stop at Ankara Airport, vanished during its transit through Turkey. The aircraft was transporting various goods and was operated by a crew of 12.
During the flight, the aircraft's progress was tracked via several waypoints. At 08:14 local time, the plane was recorded passing over Gemerek at an altitude of 11,500 feet. Approximately 45 minutes later, at 08:59, it passed Elaziğ at 13,500 feet. The crew provided a position report over Muş roughly 27 minutes after the previous waypoint; however, all communication was lost at 09:46.
Following the disappearance, search and rescue operations were initiated. Six days later, investigators located the wreckage on the slopes of Mt Süphan Dağı, near the northern side of Van Lake. The impact caused the four-engine aircraft to disintegrate, and there were 12 fatalities.
Findings
Investigations into the accident determined that the aircraft was operating under instrument flight rules when it drifted north of its intended path due to unforeseen heavy winds. Several contributing factors were identified:
- Wind speeds significantly exceeded the initial forecasts.
- The crew was unable to secure an accurate bearing while over Muş, and the status of Van had not been verified.
- Low temperatures likely caused a discrepancy between the indicated altimeter reading and the actual altitude.
- There was a lack of coordination regarding flight calculations and communications with radio beacons.