Turkish Airlines - THY Türk Hava Yollari

En route, the pilot reported passing Aksaray and estimated to arrive at Adana at 1740LT. At 1728 the pilot reported at FL175 and requested a clearance to approach. At 1740 the flight was cleared to 5,000 feet and was asked to report crossing 8,000 feet and 7,000 feet. Shortly later, at an altitude of 6,800 feet, the airplane struck the slope of Mt Medetsiz located 87 km north of Adana Airport. All 11 occupants were killed.

The flight was scheduled Nicosia - Adana - Ankara. No mechanical difficulties were reported en route. While approaching Ankara, the aircraft descended from flight level 165 to 90, was cleared to land and reported to Esenboga Tower (Ankara). At 1801Z the pilot reported leaving the Ankara radio range. One minute later the aircraft crashed and burned, fatally injuring 4 crew and 24 passengers. One passenger survived the accident with minor injuries. The accident site was 18 km from the left side of the extended centreline of runway 03.

The aircraft was on a special flight from Ankara to London via Rome with Adnan Menderes the Prime Minister of Turkey and a party of Turkish Government officials on board. The aircraft left Rome at 13:02. TC-SEV called London Airways at 15:56 after passing Abbeville and was cleared by ATC to the Epsom Radio Range station, the holding point for London Airport. Because of poor visibility at destination London (Heathrow) Airport, the London Airport Commandant decided to inform the Turkish captain that he should divert to Gatwick. At 16:21 hrs the aircraft reported over the Epsom range and was given diversion instructions. At 16:27 it left Epsom for Mayfield, the holding point for Gatwick, where it was informed by Gatwick Approach Control that it would be positioned by radar for an ILS approach to runway 09. The latest weather report for Gatwick was given as wind calm, visibility 1.1 nm, mist, cloud 3 oktas at 600 feet, QFE 1036 mb. Over the Mayfield NDB at 4,000 feet the flight was instructed to steer a course of 280 and to descend to 2,000 feet. This was acknowledged. A further descent clearance was given to 1500 feet. The aircraft overshot the centre line slightly as it turned on to the ILS approach path. At 5nm from touchdown, the aircraft affirmed that it could continue on the ILS. TC-SEV was then asked to change to tower frequency and this request was acknowledged. This was the last communication with the aircraft. At a position of some 5 km from the runway threshold and 550 feet to the north of the approach path centre line, the aircraft contacted tops of trees 390 feet amsl at the edge of Jordan's Wood. The aircraft began to disintegrate as it descended through the trees at an angle of about 6 degrees from the horizontal until the wheels made contact with the ground. After rising again slightly the main part of the wreckage came to rest about 100 yards further on and then caught fire. The Prime Minister Adnan Menderes survived the accident with nine other people while 14 other occupants were killed, among them five crew members.