Forced landing

The first versions of the plane crash near Bishkek

Today, August 26, has been declared a day of mourning in Kyrgyzstan for those killed in the crash of the Boeing 737 passenger plane that crashed on Sunday evening. According to the latest data, 65 people died, 22 were hospitalized with various injuries, three returned home after receiving medical assistance. In total, there were 90 people on the plane (83 passengers, six crew members and one airline representative).

The crashed Boeing took off on Sunday at 20.30 local time (18.30 Moscow time) on flight 6895 Bishkek-Tehran. However, almost immediately after takeoff, problems arose on the plane, and the crew tried to make an emergency landing in a field not far from Manas International Airport in the capital of Kyrgyzstan. After an emergency landing, the plane caught fire. According to preliminary information, the cause of the disaster was the depressurization of the airliner.

President of Kyrgyzstan Kurmanbek Bakiyev ordered to investigate the causes of the accident as soon as possible and report on the results. “It is necessary for the government commission to work quickly and professionally and report on the results in the coming days,” he said on Monday during a meeting with the country’s Prime Minister Igor Chudinov. Bakiyev expressed deep condolences to the families and friends of the victims. In connection with the presidential order, a special government commission was created in Kyrgyzstan, headed by Prime Minister Igor Chudinov. The commission began to investigate the causes of the tragedy. In addition, the commission of the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) also joined the investigation.

As Alik Askarov, head of the civil aviation department of Kyrgyzstan, told RIA Novosti, the plane was flown by 54-year-old first class pilot Yuri Goncharov, who has a total flight time of over 17 thousand hours, of which about 4 thousand hours on a Boeing. The pilot survived and was hospitalized yesterday at the Bishkek Research Center for Traumatology and Orthopedics, and the night before the pilot answered questions at an emergency meeting of the headquarters for eliminating the consequences of the plane crash. According to eyewitnesses, Goncharov took an active part in rescuing passengers, personally leading people out of the Boeing. Askarov also said that the Itek-Air Boeing 737-200 that crashed was produced in 1980 and has a total flight time of 59.5 thousand hours. The aircraft underwent a major overhaul in 2007 and had a significant flight life. “On August 4, the plane underwent a full technical inspection. Its condition met the technical standards of Boeing 737-200 type aircraft,” Askarov said. In turn, the general director of Itek-Air airline Vera Perelygina said that less than two hours before the last flight this plane flew on the Moscow-Bishkek route. “The flight went as usual, there were no malfunctions,” she said, there was no cargo on board the Boeing, except for the personal belongings of the passengers.

Ivan GORDEEV