The crash of a Bek Air Fokker 100 on takeoff from Kazakhstan’s largest airport, Almaty International, has reopened speculation about the safety of Kazakh carriers. Kazakhstan’s airlines were blacklisted by the European Union from 2009 to 2016 due to safety oversight issues, with the exception of Air Astana, which was taken off the list at the end of 2015.
The Fokker 100 crashed into a two-story house at 7:22 a.m. local time on December 27. According to a Reuters correspondent who happened to be at Almaty Airport at the time of the accident, there was heavy fog and temperatures were around 16 degrees F (-12 degees C). Local officials confirmed that the twin-engine aircraft lost speed and altitude within a minute of takeoff and hit a concrete barrier before crashing into the house near the airport.
Kazakh aviation authorities have temporarily grounded Bek Air’s remaining eight Fokker 100s. The airline plans to replace the Fokkers and had signed a letter of intent for 10 Irkut MC-21s, delivery of which is scheduled to begin in mid-2021.
According to initial reports from Kazakhstan’s Civil Aviation Committee, at least 15 people among the 98 on board were killed in the crash, with around 22 of the remaining 83 passengers and crew reported to be in critical condition. Kazakhstan’s interior ministry subsequently released the names of 12 people confirmed to have been killed in the accident.
While the Civil Aviation Committee has formed a commission to investigate the cause of the Bek Air crash, an interstate committee comprising six neighboring countries will investigate the cause of the accident, AIN has learned. The Fokker’s cockpit voice and flight data recorders have been recovered.
Bek Air flight Z91200 was en route from Almaty to the Kazakhstan capital Nur-Sultan (formerly Astana). It was carrying 93 passengers and five crew members. The Fokker 100 was built in 1996 and its most recent airworthiness certificate was issued in May 2019.
Bek Air was formed in 1999 and initially provided private charter flights before expanding into low-cost scheduled operations. Today, the airline serves 12 cities across Kazakhstan.