ACT Airlines Boeing 747-412F plane crash
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Updated on
The Boeing 747-400 freighter operated by ACT Airlines (also known as MyCargo Airlines) on behalf of Turkish Airlines took off from from Hong Kong, China, for a cargo flight to Istanbul, Turkey. An en route refueling stop was planned at Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. 4 crewmembers were onboard. The plane crashed after a go-around at Bishkek airport, and crashed in a residential area. 39 people were killed in the accident: the 4 crewmembers onboard and 35 villagers on the ground. 8 people on the ground received injuries.
Freezing fog and poor visibility were prevailing at Bishkek airport at the time of the accident. Weather conditions prevailing were winds at 2 knots, visibility at the threshold 100 meters (RVR 400 meters), mid point 100 meters (RVR 350 meters), runway end 100 meters (RVR 400 meters) with a vertical visibility of 50 meters.
Investigators reported the aircraft conducted a CATII ILS approach to Bishkek's runway 26 in night and poor visibility conditions. The aircraft crossed the runway threshold significantly higher than required, continued to descend while overflying the entire runway and touched down 900 meters past the runway end. The aircraft collided with a concrete airport fence and rolled into the village about 1000 meters (3500 feet) past the runway end breaking up in the process, destroying 38 houses of a village next to the airport and killing 35 villagers. Fuel was spilled causing a fire.
Debris spreads over an area of 1 kilometre. The plane's tail section was left upside down on top of a shed, next to the empty space where a house had been entirely obliterated. The aircraft has been completely destroyed.
