Turkish Airlines Flight 5904
Encyclopedia
Turkish Airlines Flight 5904 was a Boeing 737-4Q8
operated by the Turkish Airlines
, registered TC-JEP and named Trakya, on a repositioning flight that crashed on 7 April 1999 in Ceyhan
, Adana Province
in southern Turkey
. There were no passengers on board, all the 6 crew members died in the accident.
from Adana Şakirpaşa Airport
to pick up pilgrims at King Abdulaziz International Airport
in Jeddah
, Saudi Arabia
. The aircraft crashed at 00:44 EET (22:44 UTC
on April 6), 8 minutes after taking off, about 30 nautical miles (55.6 km) east-northeast of the airport near Hamdilli village of Ceyhan
district in poor weather conditions. The crash created a 10 m (32.8 ft) deep hole at the point of impact and the wreckage was scattered over an area of around 42 m² (452.1 sq ft).
The previous flight had brought 150 pilgrims returning from Hajj
back to Adana, where it landed at 23:57 EET. The pilots reported no maintenance problems and everything being normal after landing.
As revealed by the cockpit voice recorder
, the pilot asked at 23:22:43 local time (21:22:43 UTC
on April 6) for weather information from air traffic control
(ATC) at Incirlik Air Base
about the direction and speed of the thunderstorm he noticed on his radar. The ATC reported that the thunderstorm was moving away northwards, and the weather at 20 nmi (37 km) far north at the west of the airport was clear.
with two CFMI CFM56-3C1 jet engine
s, was built by Boeing
with manufacturer serial number 25378/2732, and made its first flight on 9 June 1995.
Boeing 737 Classic
The Boeing 737 Classic is the name given to the -300/-400/-500 series of the Boeing 737 following the introduction of the -600/-700/-800/-900 series. They are short- to medium- range, narrow-body jet airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The Classic series was introduced as the 'new...
operated by the Turkish Airlines
Turkish Airlines
Turkish Airlines is the national flag carrier airline of Turkey, headquartered in the Turkish Airlines General Management Building on the grounds of Atatürk Airport in Yeşilköy, Bakirköy district, Istanbul...
, registered TC-JEP and named Trakya, on a repositioning flight that crashed on 7 April 1999 in Ceyhan
Ceyhan
Ceyhan is a city in southeast Turkey and with 105,000 inhabitants it is the second largest city of Adana Province after the capital Adana. Ceyhan is the transportation hub for Middle Eastern, Central Asian and Russian oil and natural gas. It is situated on the Ceyhan River, from which it takes...
, Adana Province
Adana Province
Adana Province is a province of Turkey located in south-central Anatolia. With a population of 2,085,225, it is the fifth most populous province in Turkey. The administrative seat of the province is the city of Adana, home to 78% of the residents of the province...
in southern Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. There were no passengers on board, all the 6 crew members died in the accident.
Crash
TK5904 with two pilots and four flight attendants took off empty at 00:36 EETEastern European Time
Eastern European Time is one of the names of UTC+02:00 time zone, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It is used in some European countries that also use Eastern European Summer Time as a summer daylight saving time.- Usage :...
from Adana Şakirpaşa Airport
Adana Sakirpasa Airport
Adana Airport or Adana Şakirpaşa Airport is an airport located in the city of Adana in the Adana Province of Turkey. Adana Airport was opened to service as a civil-military airport in 1937. It started to be used as a civil airport in 1956...
to pick up pilgrims at King Abdulaziz International Airport
King Abdulaziz International Airport
King Abdulaziz International Airport is an aviation facility located 19 km to the north of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Named after King Abdulaziz Al Saud, the airport is Saudi Arabia's third largest air facility and busiest airport by passenger. The airport occupies an area of 15 square kilometers...
in Jeddah
Jeddah
Jeddah, Jiddah, Jidda, or Jedda is a city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest sea port on the Red Sea, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh. The...
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
. The aircraft crashed at 00:44 EET (22:44 UTC
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
on April 6), 8 minutes after taking off, about 30 nautical miles (55.6 km) east-northeast of the airport near Hamdilli village of Ceyhan
Ceyhan
Ceyhan is a city in southeast Turkey and with 105,000 inhabitants it is the second largest city of Adana Province after the capital Adana. Ceyhan is the transportation hub for Middle Eastern, Central Asian and Russian oil and natural gas. It is situated on the Ceyhan River, from which it takes...
district in poor weather conditions. The crash created a 10 m (32.8 ft) deep hole at the point of impact and the wreckage was scattered over an area of around 42 m² (452.1 sq ft).
The previous flight had brought 150 pilgrims returning from Hajj
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
back to Adana, where it landed at 23:57 EET. The pilots reported no maintenance problems and everything being normal after landing.
As revealed by the cockpit voice recorder
Cockpit voice recorder
A cockpit voice recorder , often referred to as a "black box", is a flight recorder used to record the audio environment in the flight deck of an aircraft for the purpose of investigation of accidents and incidents...
, the pilot asked at 23:22:43 local time (21:22:43 UTC
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
on April 6) for weather information from 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...
(ATC) at Incirlik Air Base
Incirlik Air Base
The Incirlik Air Base is located in İncirlik, five miles east of Adana, Turkey's fifth largest city, and from the Mediterranean Sea.The U.S...
about the direction and speed of the thunderstorm he noticed on his radar. The ATC reported that the thunderstorm was moving away northwards, and the weather at 20 nmi (37 km) far north at the west of the airport was clear.
Crash report
The crash investigation carried out by the Turkish Civil Aviation Authority concluded that:Aircraft
The aircraft, a Boeing 737-4Q8Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
with two CFMI CFM56-3C1 jet engine
Jet engine
A jet engine is a reaction engine that discharges a fast moving jet to generate thrust by jet propulsion and in accordance with Newton's laws of motion. This broad definition of jet engines includes turbojets, turbofans, rockets, ramjets, pulse jets...
s, was built by Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
with manufacturer serial number 25378/2732, and made its first flight on 9 June 1995.