Isparta | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The aircraft departed Istanbul-Atatürk Airport at 0051LT on a schedule service to Isparta, carrying 50 passengers and 7 crew members. After being cleared to proceed to a VOR/DME approach to Isparta Airport runway 05, the crew was supposed to fly over IPT VOR then to follow a 223° heading. But the crew failed to input the arrival procedures in the FMS and started the approach by night over rising terrain. As the EGPWS failed to activate, the crew did not realize his altitude was insufficient when the aircraft collided with trees and crashed in a mountainous area located near Çukurören, about 12 km west of Isparta Airport. The aircraft was destroyed and all 57 occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

The following findings were identified:
- The crew failed to follow the published procedures,
- The crew failed to adhere to SOP's,
- The EGPWS system failed to activate and to warn the crew about the insufficient altitude,
- The EGPWS failed 86 times during the last 235 flights and was removed from another aircraft to be installed on TC-AKM 10 days prior to the accident,
- Lack of visibility due to the night,
- The CVR system was unserviceable,
- The DFDR system was partially unserviceable and recorded the last 15 minutes of flight only,
- Lack of crew training,
- The captain followed only 20 of the requested 32 hours training,
- The copilot followed a 32-hours training program in Sofia but this was not documented,
- A probable lack of situational awareness on part of the crew.

Crash of a Boeing 727-2F2 near Isparta: 154 killed

Date & Time: Sep 19, 1976 at 2315 LT

Type of aircraft:

Boeing 727-200

Operator:

Registration:

TC-JBH

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Istanbul - Antalya

MSN:

20982

YOM:

1974

Flight number:

TK452

Location:

Isparta

Mediterranean Region (Akdeniz Bölgesi)

Country:

Turkey

Region:

Asia

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

146

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

154

Circumstances:

The airplane departed Istanbul-Yeşilköy Airport at 2245LT on a scheduled flight to Antalya, carrying 146 passengers and a crew of eight. After passing over the Afyon VOR at an altitude of 25,000 feet, the crew requested the permission to descend to 13,000 feet. A 2311LT, the captain reported Antalya city lights in sight and started the descent to runway 36. At this time, the real position of the aircraft was about 100 km north of Antalya. Four minutes later, while descending by night under VFR mode at an altitude of 3,700 feet, the airplane struck the slope of Mt Karakaya (1,371 metres high) located south of Isparta. The airplane disintegrated on impact and debris were found at an altitude of 1,130 metres. All 154 occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

The airplane was descending by night under VFR mode to Isparta instead of Antalya after the flying crew mistook the city lights of Antalya with the ones of Isparta (100 km to the north). This error of judgment on part of the crew caused the aircraft to initiate the descent prematurely and to struck the mountain that the crew failed to locate due to lack of visual references. In consequence, the accident was the result of a controlled flight into terrain following navigational errors.