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Transafrik International Flight 662 (aka TKU662), was an L-100 cargo aircraft registered to Transafrik International of Uganda and leased to National Air Cargo "NAC" on a flight from Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan to Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.[1] The aircraft crashed into a mountain peak near the Kabul Airport, causing the deaths of all eight crewmembers aboard.[2][3]
 A Lockheed L-100 Hercules similar to the one involved. | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 12 October 2010 |
| Summary | Crashed into a mountain peak while in approach sequence |
| Site | Near Hamid Karzai International Airport |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | L-100 Hercules |
| Operator | Transafrik International |
| IATA flight No. | PQ662 |
| ICAO flight No. | TKU662[citation needed] |
| Call sign | Transafrik 662 |
| Registration | 5X-TUC |
| Flight origin | Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan |
| Destination | Hamid Karzai International Airport, Afghanistan |
| Occupants | 8 |
| Crew | 8 |
| Fatalities | 8 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Accident
editAfter sunset, at about 7:20 p.m. local time, the aircraft departed Bagram Airfield (approximately 30 miles north of Kabul) for a short flight to Kabul, performing NATO supply freight flight MUA-662.[4][1] TKU662, which was flying under visual flight rules (VFR), was asked by the Kabul Airport air traffic controller, Darrell Smith, to extend the outbound leg of flight in order to follow another flight inbound to the airport.[1] The pilot, Captain Henry Bulos, complied with the request and subsequently impacted a mountain in the Pol-e Charkhi area on the outskirts of Kabul.[1] The impact sight was approximately 11 kilometers northeast of Kabul Airport.[4] At about 19:50 local time (15:20 GMT), the air traffic controller observed a fireball at approximately 1000 feet above the airport elevation.[1] The impact occurred approximately 200 feet below a mountain peak.[4]
Aircraft
edit| Aircraft | Data |
|---|---|
| Aircraft Type | Fixed-wing multi-engine[citation needed] |
| Aircraft model | L-100-20 Hercules[5] |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed[citation needed] |
| Serial number | 382-4362[citation needed] |
| Year built | 1969[citation needed] |
| First Flight | 1969[citation needed] |
| Construction Number (C/N) | 382-4362[citation needed] |
| Number of Seats | 3[citation needed] |
| Number of Engines | 4[citation needed] |
| Engine Type | Turboprop[citation needed] |
| Engine Manufacturer and Model | Allison AL501-D22A[5] |
| Also Registered As | N522SJ-deregistered[citation needed] |
Aftermath
editOn 2 October 2012, plaintiffs filed negligence complaints against Midwest ATC, NAC and Transafrik. The claims against NAC and Transafrik were dismissed. Midwest ATC (air traffic controller Darrell Smith's employer) claimed the pilot, Captain Bulos, was responsible for the crash since he was flying the L-100 under VFR flight rules and he was solely responsible for terrain avoidance. The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit stated in their decision of 9 August 2021, "...we think that a reasonable jury could also find to the contrary that Smith should have foreseen that guiding the plane, at night, toward "jet black" terrain that he was unfamiliar with (and that lay outside Class D airspace) would result in danger to Flight 662."[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f "United States Court of Appeals, Plaintiffs vs Midwest ATC" (PDF). supremecourt.gov. 9 August 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
- ^ "Cargo plane crashes near Kabul, seven dead: official". reuters.com. Reuters News Agency. 12 October 2010. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- ^ "Civilian cargo plane crashes near Afghan capital". CNN.com. CNN. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- ^ a b c "Cargo plane crashes near Kabul, 8 killed". aircrashconsult.info. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
- ^ a b "Database Record 20101012-0". aviation-safety.net. Flight Safety Foundation. Retrieved 24 January 2023.