Investigation Summary
The aircraft, named Trakya, had just completed a successful flight transporting 150 pilgrims from Jeddah to Adana. After a one-hour turnaround for refueling, it departed for a return positioning flight to pick up more passengers. The flight took off with a new crew (two pilots and four flight attendants) and around 10 to 15 tons of fuel. Before departure, the crew was warned of severe thunderstorms moving across the aerodrome. During the climb, the pitot tubes likely iced over because the anti-ice system was not engaged, a step missed during pre-flight preparations. This caused the airspeed indicators to provide false readings. The flight data and cockpit voice recorders indicated that the crew failed to cross-check other instruments to verify their actual speed and attitude. The situation was exacerbated by the entry of flight attendants into the cockpit, whose screaming and panic created a chaotic environment that hindered the pilots' ability to troubleshoot the instrument failure. The aircraft nosed over into a near-vertical dive, impacting the ground with such force that it created a large crater; while some sources report the depth as 15 meters, the Aviation Safety Network records it as 10 meters.
Final Conclusions
The investigation by the Turkish Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) concluded that the primary cause was the crew's failure to recognize the cause of erratic airspeed indications and their failure to use alternative cockpit instruments for recovery. Contributing factors included the probable non-activation of the pitot-static anti-ice system, severe thunderstorm activity, and the distraction caused by cabin crew presence in the cockpit during the emergency.
Photographic Evidence (1)
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Airframe & Maintenance
Systems & Failure Modes
Pitot-Static Anti-Ice System
Electrical heaters designed to prevent ice buildup on pitot tubes; failure to activate this system in icing conditions leads to blocked sensors and erroneous airspeed readings.
Airspeed Indicator (ASI)
Instruments that displayed erratic and false data to the pilots due to sensor icing, leading to a loss of situational awareness.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was 3.8 years old at the time of the accident.
- 02The impact created a crater 15 meters deep and 30 square meters in area.
- 03The horizontal stabilizer was found 250 meters away from the main wreckage site.
- 04The flight was a positioning flight with no passengers on board.
- 05The cockpit voice recorder captured cabin crew members panicking inside the cockpit during the final moments.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Cockpit Discipline and CRM
The investigation highlighted the critical need for Sterile Cockpit procedures to prevent cabin crew from entering the flight deck during emergencies or critical phases of flight.