History of the Flight
Skycabs flight SCB 701 departed Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) Colombo at 1940 UTC on 23 March 2000 for Bangkok, Thailand, landing at 0120 UTC on 24 March after an uneventful flight. The same crew operated the return flight SCB 702 after a 4-hour 20-minute ground time. The aircraft was refueled with 6,681 kg of fuel added to the remaining 8,300 kg, bringing total fuel to 14,981 kg. The filed alternate airport was Male International (VRMM) in the Republic of Maldives.
Flight SCB 702 departed Bangkok at 0540 UTC on 24 March 2000. Scheduled flight time was 5 hours 20 minutes. At 1016 UTC, the crew made first radio contact with Sri Lanka air traffic control. The area controller passed the latest weather report and a Sigmet. At 1042 UTC, the approach radar controller established communication. The crew made two unsuccessful ILS approaches to runway 04. While on a radar heading to establish on the ILS for runway 22 for a third landing attempt, the aircraft crashed at 1204 UTC (1804 local time) 1.2 nautical miles north-northwest of the threshold of runway 22 (3.2 NM north-northeast of DVOR/DME KAT) at BIA Colombo, in Kadirana, Negombo.
Injuries to Persons
The accident resulted in 9 fatal and 5 serious injuries. Of the 8 persons on board (7 Russian nationals and 1 Sri Lankan), 6 crew members sustained fatal injuries and 2 crew members sustained serious injuries. On the ground, 3 persons sustained fatal injuries and 3 sustained serious injuries.
Damage to Aircraft and Property
The aircraft was destroyed beyond repair. Approximately 20 coconut trees were cut at various levels. Three houses were completely destroyed, seven others were partly damaged, a parked van was severely damaged, and electric power supply lines in the vicinity were substantially damaged.
Crew Information
All six flight crew members—the captain (aged 41, 6,719 total hours, 961 on AN-12), co-pilot (aged 47, 10,802 total hours, 1,702 on AN-12), navigator (aged 40, 12,360 total hours, 4,291 on AN-12), flight mechanic (aged 45, 6,393 total hours), flight radio operator (aged 52, 7,655 total hours, 5,840 on AN-12), and flight operator/load master (aged 36)—had been on duty for 34 hours 9 minutes without a legal rest period, flying 4 sectors totaling 20 hours 19 minutes flight time. Their flight hours in the last 30 days were 161 hours 34 minutes. Also on board were an aircraft maintenance engineer (aged 38) and a Sri Lankan cargo executive (aged 51).
ATC and Weather
Two approach radar controllers and one aerodrome controller provided air traffic control service during the flight's final phases. The crew received weather reports indicating extreme conditions.
Investigation
The Department of Civil Aviation, Sri Lanka, as the State of Occurrence, instituted an investigation. The Director General of Civil Aviation appointed seven Inspectors of Accidents. The Interstate Aviation Committee of the Russian Federation provided technical assistance. The final report was released on 25 January 2002.