Investigation Summary
The accident occurred in freezing conditions (-12°C) with thick fog. Although the horizontal stabilizer was de-iced, the crew opted not to de-ice the wings, believing they were clean. During the takeoff roll, the aircraft rotated but immediately began to oscillate and roll. It reached a maximum height of only 20 feet before sinking back to the runway. After multiple tailstrikes and a brief second lift-off, the aircraft remained unable to maintain flight. It slid through the airport perimeter fence and impacted a concrete building. The crash resulted in 12 immediate fatalities; a 13th person, the First Officer, died in the hospital nearly a month later. Post-crash investigations by the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan revealed systemic safety failures at Bek Air, including the routine neglect of pre-flight walk-arounds and the lack of winter operations training.
Final Conclusions
The primary cause was an asymmetrical loss of wing lift due to ground icing. Contributory factors included the flight crew's failure to perform a tactile inspection of the wing leading edges and the airline's inadequate safety management system. The presence of an illegally constructed building near the airport perimeter significantly worsened the severity of the impact and the resulting fatalities.
Video Analysis
Animation of Bek Air flight 2100 accident — A detailed animation and breakdown of the Fokker 100 crash in Almaty, showing the takeoff oscillations and the final impact with a residential structure.
If playback is blocked, the owner has disabled embedding — use the link above.
Airframe & Maintenance
Crew Experience
Captain
Marat Ganievich Muratbaev, aged 58; died in the accident.
First Officer
Mirzhan Gaynulovich Muldakulov, aged 54; died in hospital nearly a month after the accident.
Systems & Failure Modes
Wing Leading Edges
Accumulated ground ice on these surfaces caused a stall and loss of lift immediately after rotation.
Safety Management System (SMS)
The airline's SMS was found to be generic and ineffective, failing to ensure pilots performed mandatory pre-flight de-icing inspections.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft (MSN 11496) was 23 years old and had a complex operational history, previously flown by Formosa Airlines, Mandarin Airlines, Contact Air, and OLT Express Germany, with lease periods to Kam Air, Safi Airways, and Air Djibouti.
- 02Survivors reported seeing ice on the wings and slipping on ice while evacuating via the over-wing exits.
- 03The airline initially attempted to blame wake turbulence from a preceding Airbus A321, but investigators refuted this based on wind data and timing.
- 04The Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan found that Bek Air mechanics routinely swapped parts between aircraft without keeping records.
- 05The building the aircraft struck was determined to have been built illegally on land fraudulently sold by local officials.
Safety Actions & Advisories
AOC Revocation
On April 17, 2020, the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan permanently recalled Bek Air's air operator's certificate due to the airline's failure to correct systemic safety violations.
Criminal Prosecution of Officials
In May 2021, five building officials and a real estate agent were sentenced to prison for the illegal sale of land near the airport where the residential building was constructed.
Known Controversies & Unanswered Questions
Wake Turbulence Claim
Reference ↗Bek Air management publicly claimed the crash was caused by wake turbulence from a preceding Airbus A321, but investigators and independent analysts proved the wind would have cleared any vortices from the runway.