A Boeing 747-400 cargo airplane operated by Turkey’s ACT Airlines crashed into a village in Kyrgyzstan while on approach to Manas Airport in the city of Bishkek on Monday, killing the four crewmembers and at least 33 people on the ground. The flight plan called for a stop at Manas Airport on a service to Istanbul from Hong Kong. Although weather services reported intermittent dense fog in the area at the time of the crash, at 1:20 p.m. GMT, local authorities said several airplanes had landed successfully just before the accident. Meanwhile, ACT Airlines said in a statement that the crew reported no technical problems during the flight.
Manufactured in 2003, the Boeing 747-400 joined ACT Airlines’ fleet on December 10, 2015. “As with all airplanes in our [fleet], all the maintenance on this airplane was done in a timely and complete manner,” said the statement.
“According to initial findings, it is understood that the accident was not caused by technical reasons or loading-related factors,” added the airline.
ACT Airlines said it has sent two pilot representatives to Manas Airport to help local authorities start the investigation, and that a technical team from the airline has arrived at the accident site. Authorities from Kyrgyzstan and the Turkish Ministry of Transport lead the investigation.