Atlasjet Airlines Flight KK4203 crashed shortly before its scheduled arrival in Isparta, Turkey on November 30, 2007, at 1:36 a.m. (23:36 GMT). The aircraft crashed into a mountainside near the city of Keciborlu, seven miles from the airport, killing all 57 passengers and crew onboard. The Atlasjet flight was en route from Istanbul to Isparta and reportedly carried only Turkish passengers. The weather conditions at the time of the crash were normal and the crew did not report any mechanical problems. The tower was in contact with the crew until the aircraft dropped off of the radar at 1:36 a.m., just after the pilot sought permission to land. According to CNN.com, Isparata Governor Semsettin Uzun stated that Turkish officials are confused as to how the aircraft ended up in the Keciborlu mountains, as the location of the crash is not in the scheduled flight route. There are no immediate clues as to what caused the accident; however the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and the digital flight data recorder (DFDR) were recovered from the scene and will undergo analysis in an effort to determine the cause of this crash.
At the crash scene, the fuselage was found largely intact having broken into at least three pieces. The wings had broken off on impact and were found in pieces in the surrounding area. The accident scene showed parts of the wreckage as well as personal belongings strewn across the mountainside. Some of the passengers even remained strapped into their seats. There was no evidence of a post-crash fire.
Atlasjet Airlines, founded in March 2001, is a Turkish budget airline based in Istanbul. The Boeing (McDonnell Douglas) MD-83 involved in this accident was leased from Worldfocus Airlines, also based in Istanbul. The accident aircraft was manufactured in 1994 and contained two Pratt & Whitney engines. Four of the seven crew members were Worldfocus Airlines employees, including the two pilots. At this time it appears that all of the victims of this terrible tragedy were Turkish, including a group of academics traveling to Isparta for a convention at Isparta University. The youngest victim of flight KK4203 was a six-week old infant, flying with her mother and maternal grandmother to meet her paternal grandparents for the first time.
The Motley Rice aviation team is researching this accident and the legal responsibility that Boeing, Pratt & Whitney, Atlasjet Airlines and Worldfocus Airlines may have to the families of the victims of this terrible tragedy.
If you or someone you know is interested in seeking legal recourse due to wrongful death as a result of this accident, please contact Motley Rice Aviation attorney and former Inspector General of the United States Department of Transportation, Mary Schiavo at (843) 216-9138 or toll free at 1-800-768-4026.
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Motley Rice attorneys have many years of experience representing victims of airline disasters and have aircraft pilots and mechanics on staff. We also have French, Portuguese and Spanish translators on staff. If you have any questions, comments or would like to explore your legal rights as a result of this air crash, click here. |
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