2014 Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force An-74 crash

2014 Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force An-74 crash

An Antonov 74TK-300 similar to the accident aircraft
summary
Date 17 May 2014
Summary Under investigation[1]
Site Baan Nadi, Xiangkhouang Province
Fatalities 16
Survivors 1
Aircraft type Antonov 74TK-300
Operator Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force
Registration RDPL-34020
Flight origin Wattay International Airport, Vientiane
Destination Xieng Khouang Airport, Phonsavan

On 17 May 2014, an Antonov An-74 airplane of the Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force crashed in northern Laos while en route to Xiangkhouang Province. The crash occurred around 6:30 am (IC T); 16 people died, including several Laotian statesmen.

Background

The Ukrainian-built Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force Antonov An-74TK-300, registered as RDPL-34020,[2][3][4][5] was carrying top officials in transit to attend a ceremony celebrating the 55th anniversary of the second division of the Lao People's Army.[2] Included in the casualties were Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Douangchay Phichit and Secretariat of the Party Central Committee, Cheuang Sombounkhanh.[6] In addition to the defense minister, the Minister of Public Security, the mayor of Vientiane, the deputy Minister of Cultural Affairs, and other officials were on the plane.

Crash

Between 6:15 and 07:00,[5][7][8] local time on 17 May 2014, 1,500 metres (4,900 ft)[8] or 2,000 metres (6,600 ft)[7] from the destination in Xiang Khouang, the Xieng Khouang Airport,[3][8] the aircraft crashed in Nadee,[5] Xiang Khouang, 500 kilometres (310 mi) from where it left in Vientiane[4] at the Vientiane-Wattay Airport.[3] The aircraft was too low on final approach, and its landing gear clipped some trees just short of the runway, resulting in the crash, which was attributed to a technical error.[9]

It is the second deadliest accident in Laos' history, after Lao Airlines Flight 301, which crashed in October 2013.[4]

Passengers

Initial reports suggested that there were fourteen passengers,[2][6] but later reports gave the figure as twenty on board at the time of the accident,[10] only three were reported to have survived,[4] according to official sources.[2] Once the situation became clearer, the passenger count was given as seventeen[9] and the death toll was given as sixteen, with one survivor after the other two original survivors died from their wounds.[11]

Those killed included:[6][12][13]

Although the names of the survivors have not yet been released,[2] a Thai news source said that the co-pilot, a nurse, and another person had survived.[6] The defence ministry permanent secretary in Thailand said that the Defence Minister of Laos and four others had been killed,[4] and a witness also said that the Defence Minister had died, and gave the figure of fourteen deaths.[7]

Reactions

The death of "arguably the two most powerful people in the security apparatus" was reported to be a significant blow to the ruling Lao People's Revolutionary Party.[12] After the crash, the ceremony was cancelled,[2] and a three-day period of national mourning was announced.[13][14]

References

  1. Network News, Australia. "Laos plane crash: Five officials including Laotian defence minister killed as military plane crashes in country's north". ABC News. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Military plane with top officials crashes in northern Laos". RT. 17 May 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Laos Defence Minister Douangchay Phichit's plane crashes". BBC News. 17 May 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 "Plane crashes in Xiengkhouang province '". KPL. 17 May 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Lao deputy PM dies in plane crash". Bangkok Post. 17 May 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 "Laos air force plane crashes, defence minister reported dead". Reuters. 17 May 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 Peng, Fu (17 May 2014). "At least five confirmed dead, three survive in air crash in northeastern Laos". Xinhuanet. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  9. 1 2 "Technical Error Behind Laos Plane Crash". New Indian Express. 20 May 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
  10. Waldron, Greg (19 May 2014). "Crash of Lao air force An-74 kills 20". Flightglobal. Singapore. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. 
  11. "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
  12. 1 2 Fuller, Thomas (17 May 2014). "Crash in Laos Kills Top Government Officials". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  13. 1 2 Chaichalearmmongkol, Nopparat (18 May 2014). "Laos Declares Days of Mourning After Plane Crash". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  14. "Lao defence minister, top officials, lie in state after plane crash; investigation underway". Ottawa Citizen. 19 May 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/26/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.