Azerbaijan Airlines and Antonov are in dispute over reports about the fatal crash of one of the carrier’s An-140s on 23 December. The airline says the crew reported the loss of their flight instruments and asked air traffic control (ATC) for height and heading information, but Antonov insists that standby instruments would have enabled the crew to maintain control of the aircraft.
The An-140 twin turboprop took off from Baku at night in poor visibility and rain, but about 5min into the flight the crew appears to have lost control and the aircraft crashed, killing all five crew and 18 passengers on board. Local reports say the wreckage was widely scattered. The temperature and dew point on the ground were both 8°C (46°F), but above about 3,000ft (900m) the aircraft could have faced icing conditions, according to local meteorological reports. The airline has grounded its only other An-140 for checks.
DAVID LEARMOUNT/LONDON
Source: Flight International
