2006 Slovak Air Force Antonov An-24 crash
Encyclopedia
On 19 January 2006 an Antonov
An-24
aircraft operated by the Slovak Air Force
crashed in northern Hungary
, near the village of Hejce
and town of Telkibánya
. The airplane was carrying Slovak peacekeepers from Kosovo
. Of the 43 people on board, there was only one survivor. The crash remains the deadliest in Slovak history
.
The airplane involved in the crash was an Antonov An-24V, the 50-seat version of the Antonov
An-24
, a twin turboprop
transport aircraft. The aircraft was manufactured on 31 October 1969 in the Soviet Union
with the serial number
97305605.
The airplane was carrying Slovak peacekeepers who had finished a six-month tour of duty
in NATO’s KFOR mission in Kosovo
. The airplane was flying from Pristina International Airport
in Pristina
, Serbia and Montenegro
to Košice International Airport
in Košice
, Slovakia
.
(18:38 GMT
), the aircraft disappeared from air traffic controllers’ radar screens. The aircraft crashed in snowy and forested terrain on Borsó Hill at an elevation of 700 meters (2,300 feet) near the Hungarian village of Hejce
and the town of Telkibánya
. The crash site is about 20 km (12.4 mi) from Košice and about 3 km (1.9 mi) from the Slovak border.
According to the Hungarian Disaster Management Agency, the plane hit the tops of trees before catching fire and crashing. Tibor Dobson, of the disaster prevention unit of Hungarian Ministry of the Interior, was quoted as saying that bodies and wreckage were scattered over a large area, and Hungarian police spokesman László Garamvölgyi was quoted as saying that it was −18°C (−0.4°F) at the crash site and that the fuselage was completely burnt out.
Michaela Farkasova, the wife of a passenger, reported that she received a cellular telephone
call from her husband, Martin Farkaš. She said that she received the call around 19:30 EET (18:30 GMT). She is quoted as saying that her husband told her that his plane had crashed in a forest. Shortly before the line went dead, he asked her to alert rescue services and the police.
First Lieutenant Martin Farkaš. He suffered minor brain swelling and lung injuries after the crash before being transported to Košice to seek medical attention. He was put into a medically induced coma, but he was soon reported to be in a stable condition.
According to rescuers, his survival was pure luck as he was found in the aircraft’s lavatory, which received little damage.
Ambassador to Slovakia
Rodolphe Vallee released a statement on 30 January expressing his condolences to the families and friends of the victims, to the Slovak Armed Forces
, and to the Slovak Republic. Secretary General of NATO
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer
issued a statement hours after the incident in which he expressed his condolences.
Immediately after the crash, flags were lowered to half-staff
and sirens sounded as a tribute to the victims.
On 30 March 2006, the United States Army
Major General
R. Martin Umbarger, Commanding General for the Indiana Army National Guard, presented a memorial to Slovak Army Major General Peter Gajdoš at a ceremony at the Slovak Ministry of Defense building in Bratislava
. On 27 March the memorial travelled to Prešov and on 29 March to Trebišov
before returning to Bratislava.
On 18 September 2006, the government of Slovakia allocated 1.5 million koruna
from its reserve fund to build a memorial in the Hungarian village of Hejce, near the crash site. The Defence Ministry of Slovakia was able to raised 1.496 million koruna through fundraising. The Slovak Cabinet committed to match public donations and earmarked 1.5 million koruna. The memorial cost around 4.5 million koruna.
On 19 January 2007, the first anniversary of the crash was commemorated by the victims’ loved ones, Martin Farkaš and his wife, and the Slovak and Hungarian militaries. Among those attending was Slovak Defence Minister František Kašický
, Slovak Army Chief of Staff Ľubomír Bulík, Hungarian Defence State Secretary József Bali, and Hungarian Deputy Army Chief of Staff János Mikita. The attendees laid wreaths and flowers and lit candles at the crash site. Also in the ceremony, Slovak and Hungarian clergy blessed the cornerstone of a monument to the victims that will be near a local church in the Hungarian village of Hejce.
after Slovak air traffic control
lers had taken over the flight from Hungarian controllers.
The investigation indicates that the pilot descended too early in the dark towards the lights of Košice
.
Antonov
Antonov, or Antonov Aeronautical Scientist/Technical Complex , formerly the Antonov Design Bureau, is a Ukrainian aircraft manufacturing and services company with particular expertise in the field of very large aircraft construction. Antonov ASTC is a state-owned commercial company...
An-24
Antonov An-24
The Antonov An-24 is a 44-seat twin turboprop transport designed and manufactured in the Soviet Union by the Antonov Design Bureau from 1957.-Design and development:...
aircraft operated by the Slovak Air Force
Slovak Air Force
The Slovak Air Force, known since 2002 as the Air Force of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic , is the aviation and air defense branch of the Slovak Armed Forces. Operating 70 aircraft from 3 major bases - Kuchyňa, Sliač, Prešov...
crashed in northern Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, near the village of Hejce
Hejce
Hejce is a village in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Hungary. It is one of the oldest settlements in Hungary, mentioned in records from 1009, when king Stephen I granted it to the episcopate of Eger. Its viniculture was already known around 1600...
and town of Telkibánya
Telkibánya
Telkibánya is a village in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, in the Northern Hungary region of northeastern Hungary.-Geography:It covers an area of and has a population of 693 people .-Main Sights:*Protestant cemetery and church*St...
. The airplane was carrying Slovak peacekeepers from Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
. Of the 43 people on board, there was only one survivor. The crash remains the deadliest in Slovak history
History of Slovakia
This article discusses the history of the territory of Slovakia.- Palaeolithic :Radiocarbon dating puts the oldest surviving archaeological artifacts from Slovakia - found near Nové Mesto nad Váhom - at 270,000 BCE, in the Early Paleolithic era...
.
Background
Antonov
Antonov, or Antonov Aeronautical Scientist/Technical Complex , formerly the Antonov Design Bureau, is a Ukrainian aircraft manufacturing and services company with particular expertise in the field of very large aircraft construction. Antonov ASTC is a state-owned commercial company...
An-24
Antonov An-24
The Antonov An-24 is a 44-seat twin turboprop transport designed and manufactured in the Soviet Union by the Antonov Design Bureau from 1957.-Design and development:...
, a twin turboprop
Turboprop
A turboprop engine is a type of turbine engine which drives an aircraft propeller using a reduction gear.The gas turbine is designed specifically for this application, with almost all of its output being used to drive the propeller...
transport aircraft. The aircraft was manufactured on 31 October 1969 in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
with the serial number
Serial number
A serial number is a unique number assigned for identification which varies from its successor or predecessor by a fixed discrete integer value...
97305605.
The airplane was carrying Slovak peacekeepers who had finished a six-month tour of duty
Tour of duty
In the Navy, a tour of duty is a period of time spent performing operational duties at sea, including combat, performing patrol or fleet duties, or assigned to service in a foreign country....
in NATO’s KFOR mission in Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
. The airplane was flying from Pristina International Airport
Priština International Airport
Pristina International Airport Adem Jashari is an international airport located southwest of Pristina, Kosovo. It is an international airport that handles over a million passengers per year, co-located with Slatina Air Base. It is under the authority of the Government of Kosovo and is the only...
in Pristina
Pristina
Pristina, also spelled Prishtina and Priština is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous municipality and district....
, Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro was a country in southeastern Europe, formed from two former republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia : Serbia and Montenegro. Following the breakup of Yugoslavia, it was established in 1992 as a federation called the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...
to Košice International Airport
Košice International Airport
Košice International Airport serves Košice, Slovakia and is the second largest international airport in Slovakia. It is located to the south of St. Elisabeth Cathedral, above sea level, covering an area of . It serves both scheduled and chartered, domestic and international flights...
in Košice
Košice
Košice is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary...
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
.
Crash
At around 19:38 CETCentral European Time
Central European Time , used in most parts of the European Union, is a standard time that is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time . The time offset from UTC can be written as +01:00...
(18:38 GMT
Greenwich Mean Time
Greenwich Mean Time is a term originally referring to mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London. It is arguably the same as Coordinated Universal Time and when this is viewed as a time zone the name Greenwich Mean Time is especially used by bodies connected with the United...
), the aircraft disappeared from air traffic controllers’ radar screens. The aircraft crashed in snowy and forested terrain on Borsó Hill at an elevation of 700 meters (2,300 feet) near the Hungarian village of Hejce
Hejce
Hejce is a village in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Hungary. It is one of the oldest settlements in Hungary, mentioned in records from 1009, when king Stephen I granted it to the episcopate of Eger. Its viniculture was already known around 1600...
and the town of Telkibánya
Telkibánya
Telkibánya is a village in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, in the Northern Hungary region of northeastern Hungary.-Geography:It covers an area of and has a population of 693 people .-Main Sights:*Protestant cemetery and church*St...
. The crash site is about 20 km (12.4 mi) from Košice and about 3 km (1.9 mi) from the Slovak border.
According to the Hungarian Disaster Management Agency, the plane hit the tops of trees before catching fire and crashing. Tibor Dobson, of the disaster prevention unit of Hungarian Ministry of the Interior, was quoted as saying that bodies and wreckage were scattered over a large area, and Hungarian police spokesman László Garamvölgyi was quoted as saying that it was −18°C (−0.4°F) at the crash site and that the fuselage was completely burnt out.
Emergency response
Emergency workers who arrived at the scene were tasked not only with looking for survivors, but also with putting out the fire at the crash site. Hungarian authorities reported that the heavily wooded and steep terrain, as well as the low temperatures, contributed to the destruction and hampered rescue efforts. It was also reported that helicopters were unable to land at the crash site. Access was also made difficult because the road leading to the site was covered in snow.Michaela Farkasova, the wife of a passenger, reported that she received a cellular telephone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
call from her husband, Martin Farkaš. She said that she received the call around 19:30 EET (18:30 GMT). She is quoted as saying that her husband told her that his plane had crashed in a forest. Shortly before the line went dead, he asked her to alert rescue services and the police.
Sole survivor
The sole survivor of the crash was Slovak ArmyGround Forces of the Slovak Republic
The following is a summary of the Ground Forces of the Slovak Republic, which are part of the Military of Slovakia.-Ground Forces HQ:In Trenčín...
First Lieutenant Martin Farkaš. He suffered minor brain swelling and lung injuries after the crash before being transported to Košice to seek medical attention. He was put into a medically induced coma, but he was soon reported to be in a stable condition.
According to rescuers, his survival was pure luck as he was found in the aircraft’s lavatory, which received little damage.
Reactions and aftermath
United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Ambassador to Slovakia
United States Ambassador to Slovakia
Until 1992 the Slovak Republic had been united with the Czech Republic as the nation of Czechoslovakia.Following World War II, a U.S. consulate was established in Bratislava, but the consulate was closed on May 27, 1950, on the order of the Czechoslovak government, at the height of the Cold War....
Rodolphe Vallee released a statement on 30 January expressing his condolences to the families and friends of the victims, to the Slovak Armed Forces
Military of Slovakia
The Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic number 14,000 uniformed personnel. Slovakia joined NATO in March 2004. From 2006 the army transformed into a fully professional organization and compulsory military service was abolished.-Structure of the Armed Forces:...
, and to the Slovak Republic. Secretary General of NATO
Secretary General of NATO
The Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation is the chairman of the North Atlantic Council, the supreme decision-making organisation of the defence alliance. The Secretary-General also serves as the leader of the organisation's staff and as its chief spokesman...
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer
Jakob Gijsbert "Jaap" de Hoop Scheffer is a retired Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal . He served as the 11th Secretary General of NATO from January 5, 2004 until August 1, 2009....
issued a statement hours after the incident in which he expressed his condolences.
Memorials
Half-staff
Half-staff is the American term for to describe a flag flying a flag below the summit of the flagpole . The rest of the English-speaking world uses the term half-mast. Technically the flag should be flown one breadth lower to allow for the invisible flag of death...
and sirens sounded as a tribute to the victims.
On 30 March 2006, the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
R. Martin Umbarger, Commanding General for the Indiana Army National Guard, presented a memorial to Slovak Army Major General Peter Gajdoš at a ceremony at the Slovak Ministry of Defense building in Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
. On 27 March the memorial travelled to Prešov and on 29 March to Trebišov
Trebišov
Trebišov is a small industrial town in the easternmost part of Slovakia, with a population of around 23,000. The town is an administrative, economic and cultural center with machine and building materials industries.-History:...
before returning to Bratislava.
On 18 September 2006, the government of Slovakia allocated 1.5 million koruna
Slovak koruna
In 1993, coins were introduced in denominations of 10, 20 and 50 haliers, 1, 2, 5 and 10 korunas. The 10 and 20 halier coins were taken out of circulation on 31 December 2003....
from its reserve fund to build a memorial in the Hungarian village of Hejce, near the crash site. The Defence Ministry of Slovakia was able to raised 1.496 million koruna through fundraising. The Slovak Cabinet committed to match public donations and earmarked 1.5 million koruna. The memorial cost around 4.5 million koruna.
On 19 January 2007, the first anniversary of the crash was commemorated by the victims’ loved ones, Martin Farkaš and his wife, and the Slovak and Hungarian militaries. Among those attending was Slovak Defence Minister František Kašický
František Kašický
František Kašický was defence minister of Slovakia from 4 July 2006 to 25 January 2008.He is a former chief of Office of the Minister of Defence, Director of Communication Department and the ministry spokesman...
, Slovak Army Chief of Staff Ľubomír Bulík, Hungarian Defence State Secretary József Bali, and Hungarian Deputy Army Chief of Staff János Mikita. The attendees laid wreaths and flowers and lit candles at the crash site. Also in the ceremony, Slovak and Hungarian clergy blessed the cornerstone of a monument to the victims that will be near a local church in the Hungarian village of Hejce.
Investigation
According to Tibor Dobson of the disaster prevention unit of Hungarian Ministry of the Interior, the aircraft had strayed 3 km (1.9 mi) off the flight path outlined in the flight planFlight plan
Flight plans are documents filed by pilots or a Flight Dispatcher with the local Civil Aviation Authority prior to departure...
after Slovak air traffic control
Air traffic control
Air traffic control is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air. The primary purpose of ATC systems worldwide is to separate aircraft to prevent collisions, to organize and expedite the flow of traffic, and to provide information and other...
lers had taken over the flight from Hungarian controllers.
The investigation indicates that the pilot descended too early in the dark towards the lights of Košice
Košice
Košice is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary...
.