Accidents and Incidents

1. In December 2002 an aircraft carrying many of Ukraine's top aviation designers and engineers crashed into a mountainside as it was preparing to land in Isfahan-Iran, killing all 44 on board. The passengers, including some Russian specialists and officials, were headed for the official inauguration of Iran's version of another Antonov plane, the An-140 commuter airliner, which is licensed by the design bureau. Iranian officials at first said they believed pilot error was to blame for the crash, but later said it was early to determine what caused the accident. The aircraft's flight data recorder
   Flight data recorder
   A flight data recorder is an electronic device employed to record any instructions sent to any electronic systems on an aircraft. It is a device used to record specific aircraft performance parameters...
   
    was recovered but the results were never revealed.
2. On 23 December 2005, Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 217
   Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 217
   Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 217 was a scheduled passenger flight between Baku and Aktau, Kazakhstan that crashed into the Caspian Sea at CA 22:40 on 23 December 2005. The flight was operated by an Antonov An-140.-The accident:...
   
   , an Antonov An-140 4K-AZ48, plunged into the Caspian Sea
   Caspian Sea
   The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
   
    about 20 miles north of the capital, Baku
   Baku
   Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
   
   . All 18 passengers and five crew members died. The plane was on its way to Aktau
   Aktau
   Aktau , formerly known as Shevchenko , is a city in Kazakhstan's Mangyshlak Peninsula and country's only seaport on the Caspian Sea. It is the capital of Mangystau Province in western Kazakhstan...
   
   . The airline has grounded its other remaining An-140 airplanes, and also postponed plans to purchase more of the type aircraft from Ukraine. Investigations have discovered that three independent gyroscopes were not providing stabilised heading and altitude performance information to the crew early in the flight.
3. The third accident (non-fatal) occurred on 12 August 2005 with a HESA IrAn-140
   HESA IrAn-140
   |-See also:* Iran Aviation Industries Organization* Military of Iran* List of Iranian Air Force aircraft* Iranian military industry* Current Equipment of the Iranian Army-External links:* - Globalsecurity.org...
   
    belonging to Safiran Airlines. One of the engines failed and the airplane tried to land with the remaining engine. During the landing it went out of the runway in Arak airport. Airplane body was badly damaged but no-one died.
4. The fourth accident happened on 15 February 2006 in Iran killing 5 pilots on board. This airplane was also of the Iranian type known as the HESA IrAn-140
   HESA IrAn-140
   |-See also:* Iran Aviation Industries Organization* Military of Iran* List of Iranian Air Force aircraft* Iranian military industry* Current Equipment of the Iranian Army-External links:* - Globalsecurity.org...
   
   .
5. The fifth accident occurred on September 6, 2008 in Kiev
   Kiev
   Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
   
    Boryspil Airport
   Boryspil Airport
   Boryspil International Airport is an international airport located west of Boryspil, east of Kiev. It is Ukraine's largest airport, serving the major part of international flights of the country, and is one of three airports that serve Kiev, along with the smaller Zhulyany Airport and Gostomel...
   
   . A Southern Airlines Ukraine An-140 coming from Lviv suffered a front landing gear failure (stuck inside the aircraft fuselage). The aircraft landed on a specially prepared foam track using two intact landing gears. None suffered any injuries and the aircraft was put back to service in three weeks after a minor repair.

See also