 UR-CIC, the aircraft involved in the accident, seven days before the crash. | |
| Occurrence | |
|---|---|
| Date | 16 July 2022 |
| Summary | Crashed, under investigation |
| Site | 16 km (10 mi) west of Kavala International Airport, Kavala, Greece 40°58′N 24°12′E / 40.967°N 24.200°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Antonov An-12BK |
| Operator | Meridian |
| ICAO flight No. | MEM3032 |
| Call sign | MERIDIAN CHERRY 3032 |
| Registration | UR-CIC |
| Flight origin | Niš Constantine the Great Airport, Niš, Serbia |
| 1st stopover | Queen Alia International Airport, Amman, Jordan |
| 2nd stopover | King Khalid International Airport, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
| 3rd stopover | Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad, India |
| Destination | Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka, Bangladesh |
| Occupants | 8 |
| Crew | 8 |
| Fatalities | 8 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Meridian Flight 3032 (MEM3032) was an Antonov An-12BK which crashed in July 2022 near Kavala, Greece while trying to make an emergency landing at Kavala International Airport.[1][2]
It was carrying 11.5 tonnes (11,500 kg; 25,000 lb) of munitions when it crashed, which continued exploding till the day after, hindering the inspection of the crash site.
Aircraft
The aircraft involved first flew in 1971.[3] It was acquired by Ukrainian cargo carrier Aviation Company Meridian in January 2022 and re-registered as UR-CIC.[3][4]
Crew and cargo
The eight crew members, all Ukrainian citizens, died in the crash.[5]
According to Serbian defence minister Nebojša Stefanović, the aircraft's cargo was 11.5-tonnes of Serbian-made weapons and ammunition, including mortar shells.[6][5]
Incident
The flight originated in Niš, Serbia and was bound for Dhaka, Bangladesh, with stops in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and India.[7]
The aircraft departed from Niš at 18:36 UTC, with the 11,000 tons of ammunition loaded in the hold to be flown in Dhaka. Intermediate stops are planned in Amman, Riyadh and Ahmedabad.
At 19:09 UTC when the aircraft was above the greek aerospace through the RUGAS waypoint at flight level 19,800, one of the pilots informs the Air Traffic Controller (ATC) that they need to shut down the number 4 engine because of a visible fuel leak. After a brief consultation between the two crew members, they decided to return to the Niš Constantine the Great Airport, the airport of departure. At 19:30, the pilots make a 180 degrees turn towards the departure airport, after 10 minutes at 19:40, the crew shut down the n°4 engine, which subsequently caught fire.
The crew begins the fire extinguishing procedure, but it was unsuccessful. At 19:42, while at flight level 14,300, the crew declear an emergency due to the fire of the n°4 engine and requesting an immediate descent from the ATC and a flight to the Kavala Airport. The pilots made a right turn at a heading of 090 degrees. The last position known of the plane was at an altitude of 5,600 feet, with an airspeed of 222 knots. Prior to the impact with terrain, the airplane collided with various obstacles which are a Tree Canopy, electrical power lines and an overhead power line pole. All occupants of the airplane perished in the crash.[8]
Eyewitness accounts and video showed that the plane was already on fire before it crashed.[5][8]
Secondary explosions were heard for up to two hours after the crash.[5] Residents within a two kilometres (1.2 mi) radius were advised to close windows and stay indoors, while emergency responders, explosives experts and staff from the Greek Atomic Energy Commission were unable to inspect the wreckage due to uncertainty about the nature and state of any remaining cargo and residues.[6] Drones were instead used to examine the wreckage.[6]
Weapons destination
Amid speculation that the weapons were destined for Ukraine, Serbia's defence minister Nebojša Stefanović stated that the weapons shipment was not linked to the Russo-Ukrainian War, and the Bangladesh Armed Forces confirmed that they were the intended recipients of the weapons,[9] which they bought from a Polish-owned Bosnian company BA-METALEXPORT.[10]
Given Serbia's policy of oscillating between the West and Russia and Serbia's weapons industry and political corruption, political scientist Vuk Vuksanovic continued to question whether the plane was indeed transporting Serbian weapons to Ukraine.[11]
Investigation
An investigation was opened by the Air Accident Investigation and Aviation Safety Board (AAIASB) with the support of the National Bureau of Air Accidents Investigation of Ukraine (NNBAAI). The Bundesstelle für Flugunfalluntersuchung (BFU) of Germany was able to download the Cockpit voice recorder that are providing all the essential data to the investigation.[7]
The investigation found that the airplane was involved in another incident one month before the crash on June 19, 2022. While taxiing at the Rzeszów airfield, Poland, while following the FOLLOW ME tracking vehicle, in order to change parking, the Antonov An-12BK deviated to the right from the route indicated by the FOLLOW ME vehicle and collided with the right wing mast of the apron lights. As a result of the incident, the right leading edge of the wing was damaged.[8] As of December 2023 the investigation is still ongoing and no final report is released.[8]
References
- ↑ Kantouris, Costas; Nellas, Demetris (July 17, 2022). "Cargo plane operated by Ukraine carrier crashes in Greece". ABC News.
- ↑ "Cargo plane crashes near Greece's northern city of Kavala". Reuters. July 17, 2022.
- 1 2 "Registration Details For UR-CIC (Aviation Company Meridian) Antonov An-12BK - PlaneLogger". PlaneLogger. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
- ↑ Talia Kayali, Chris Liakos and Teele Rebane. "Plane crash in Greece kills eight people". CNN. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
- 1 2 3 4 "Plane carrying munitions crashes in Greece killing all onboard". The Guardian. 2022-07-17. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
- 1 2 3 "Greece plane crash: Cargo aircraft was carrying weapons to Bangladesh - minister". BBC News. 17 July 2022.
- 1 2 Hradecky, Simon (2022-07-16). "Crash: Meridian AN12 near Kavala on Jul 16th 2022, impacted ground after engine trouble". avherald.com. The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
- 1 2 3 4 Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Antonov An-12BK UR-CIC Kavala". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
- ↑ "All eight crew members killed in cargo plane crash in northern Greece". France 24. 2022-07-17. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
- ↑ "Crashed Plane was Flying Arms for Polish-Owned Bosnian Company". Balkan Insight. July 26, 2022.
- ↑ "Mystery plane crash: Were Serbian weapons headed for Ukraine?". DW.COM. 2022-07-23. Retrieved 2022-07-26.