Mergui

The aircraft departed Mergui (Myeik) Airport at 1306LT bound for Yangon, carrying soldiers and their family members. While cruising at an altitude of 18,000 feet in good weather conditions, radar contact was lost with the airplane that crashed in unknown circumstances in the Andaman Sea at 1335LT. SAR operations were initiated and first debris were found at the end of the afternoon about 218 km off the city of Dawei, according of the Myanmar Army Chief of Staff. It is believed that none of the occupants survived the crash. Brand new, the aircraft has been delivered to the Myanmar Air Force in March 2016. The Shaanxi Y-8 is a Chinese version of the Antonov AN-12 built post 2010. The tail of the aircraft was found a week later and both CFR and DFDR were recovered and transmitted to the Army for further investigations.

While descending to Mergui Airport, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with heavy rain falls. On short final, the aircraft lost height and struck the ground about 250 metres short of runway 18. On impact, the undercarriage were torn off and the aircraft slid for few dozen metres before coming to rest in a 1,2 metre deep excavation located short of runway threshold. Eight passengers were killed while 16 others were seriously injured.

The accident took place while the aircraft was approaching to land at Mergui Airstrip on Runway 01 on a schedule Rangoon - Tavoy - Mergui flight with 15 passengers and 3 crew. The port wing of the aircraft hit trees on its final approach and the aircraft landed heavily about 820 feet from the threshold of the runway. On impact with the ground, the starboard engine became detached from the aircraft and the aircraft ran along on its port wheels and starboard propeller approximately 270 feet and finally came to rest about 475 feet from the threshold and approximately 50 feet from the edge of the runway. Fire broke out on the starboard side, possibly due to severed fuel lines and electrical short circuits. The fire consumed the forward portion of the aircraft up to the main rear entrance door. The wings sustained damage but were not consumed by the fire. The crew and passengers were safely evacuated although two of the passengers sustained minor injuries. The fire fighting equipment at the aerodrome was totally inadequate and the local fire brigade with its 400 gallons of plain water could not save the aircraft.