Saturday, May 13, 2006
Kam-Air disaster in Afghanistan
Friday, February 04, 2005
Kam-Air disaster in Afghanistan
A little while ago we made the acquaintance of dodgy Afghan airline KAM-AIR and its fleet of ex-Viktor Bout aircraft, (Reader Mail). We touched on the surprising appearance of YA-GAA, the Boeing 727 formerly operated for Afghan warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum by Chris Barrett-Jolley after his departure from Britain and before his coke-smuggling conviction, and the suspicious number of aircraft from Phoenix Aviation on their books. More recently, a contact recently returned from monitoring the Afghan elections told me that KAM had gone bankrupt.
Whatever the news about its finances is, one of their aircraft crashed today with heavy loss of life (See Below). The Boeing 737 was transporting passengers from Herat to Kabul when it was diverted to Pakistan due to snowstorms. It never arrived, and the Pakistanis say it never reached Pakistani airspace. 104 persons were aboard, including a largely Russian (or Kyrgyz - reports conflict) crew. According to the BBC, a NATO search and rescue mission located the wreck 22 miles northeast of Kabul.
The aircraft in question was B737-242 serial no. 22075, registered in Kyrgyzstan EX-037. Its owner is given as Phoenix Aviation, a familiar name we have dealt with before.
Update, 1615Z 04/02/05
No survivors were found. This horrific accident came a day after another suspect company, East-West Cargo aka Air West, lost an Ilyushin 76 north of Khartoum with the deaths of its Russian crew. Alongside many others, flight safety is one of "their" failings.
Original: http://yorkshire-ranter.blogspot.com/2005/02/kam-air-disaster-in-afghanistan.html
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Afghan plane search draws blank
Nato troops searching for a missing Afghan airliner with 104 passengers on board have suspended the operation until the morning.
Afghan and Nato sources have denied earlier reports that the wreckage of the plane had been found.
Speaking to the BBC, a spokesman for the Afghan defence ministry said no crash site had yet been discovered.
"We have not found a single piece of the plane or wreckage," Gen Zaher Azimi told BBC News.
He described reports of wreckage being found east of Kabul as "baseless".
Bad weather
The Kam Air Boeing 737 flight from Herat to Kabul vanished amid heavy snowstorms on Thursday afternoon.
The aircraft lost contact with traffic control after being turned away from the airport because of the weather.
The search of the mountainous terrain around the capital where the plane disappeared is expected to resume on Saturday morning.
The Turkish government has listed the names of nine Turkish nationals who were on board the Kam Air flight.
Three US women are also reported to have been on board.
The eight crew included six Russians and two Afghans, a spokesman for Kam Air said.
Kabul and the surrounding area have been hit by freak snowstorms.
Flights out of Kabul have been suspended.
Kam Air is Afghanistan's only private airline. It was set up last year and flies national and regional routes.
Original: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4234899.st
____________________________________________________________________________________
Kam-Air disaster in Afghanistan
A little while ago we made the acquaintance of dodgy Afghan airline KAM-AIR and its fleet of ex-Viktor Bout aircraft, (Reader Mail). We touched on the surprising appearance of YA-GAA, the Boeing 727 formerly operated for Afghan warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum by Chris Barrett-Jolley after his departure from Britain and before his coke-smuggling conviction, and the suspicious number of aircraft from Phoenix Aviation on their books. More recently, a contact recently returned from monitoring the Afghan elections told me that KAM had gone bankrupt.
Whatever the news about its finances is, one of their aircraft crashed today with heavy loss of life (See Below). The Boeing 737 was transporting passengers from Herat to Kabul when it was diverted to Pakistan due to snowstorms. It never arrived, and the Pakistanis say it never reached Pakistani airspace. 104 persons were aboard, including a largely Russian (or Kyrgyz - reports conflict) crew. According to the BBC, a NATO search and rescue mission located the wreck 22 miles northeast of Kabul.
The aircraft in question was B737-242 serial no. 22075, registered in Kyrgyzstan EX-037. Its owner is given as Phoenix Aviation, a familiar name we have dealt with before.
Update, 1615Z 04/02/05
No survivors were found. This horrific accident came a day after another suspect company, East-West Cargo aka Air West, lost an Ilyushin 76 north of Khartoum with the deaths of its Russian crew. Alongside many others, flight safety is one of "their" failings.
Original: http://yorkshire-ranter.blogspot.com/2005/02/kam-air-disaster-in-afghanistan.html
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Afghan plane search draws blank
Nato troops searching for a missing Afghan airliner with 104 passengers on board have suspended the operation until the morning.
Afghan and Nato sources have denied earlier reports that the wreckage of the plane had been found.
Speaking to the BBC, a spokesman for the Afghan defence ministry said no crash site had yet been discovered.
"We have not found a single piece of the plane or wreckage," Gen Zaher Azimi told BBC News.
He described reports of wreckage being found east of Kabul as "baseless".
Bad weather
The Kam Air Boeing 737 flight from Herat to Kabul vanished amid heavy snowstorms on Thursday afternoon.
The aircraft lost contact with traffic control after being turned away from the airport because of the weather.
The search of the mountainous terrain around the capital where the plane disappeared is expected to resume on Saturday morning.
The Turkish government has listed the names of nine Turkish nationals who were on board the Kam Air flight.
Three US women are also reported to have been on board.
The eight crew included six Russians and two Afghans, a spokesman for Kam Air said.
Kabul and the surrounding area have been hit by freak snowstorms.
Flights out of Kabul have been suspended.
Kam Air is Afghanistan's only private airline. It was set up last year and flies national and regional routes.
Original: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4234899.st
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# posted by Always @ 6:33 AM 
