ALMATY, KAZAKHSTAN – A Bek Air Fokker 100 has crashed in Kazakhstan on Friday, killing 12 people and injuring dozens more. The accident happened seconds after take off at Almaty Airport in Kazakhstan. The passenger aircraft was carrying 93 passengers and 5 crew members.

Flight Z9-2100

Flight Z9-2100 was on its way from Almaty to Nur-Sultan – the capitol city of Kazakhstan, formerly named Astana – when it crash landed into a building shortly after departure. According to local media, at least 12 people have been recovered and dozens of people are in the hospital.

The aircraft “lost altitude after takeoff and broke through a concrete fence,” before colliding with a two-story building at approximately 7:22 AM local time, according to the Almaty airport authority.

A survivor of the crash told local media outlet Tengrinews that she heard a “terrifying sound” before the plane crashed, Reuters reported. “The plane was flying at a tilt. Everything was like in a movie: screaming, shouting, people crying,” she said.

Another survivor said that shortly after take off, the aircraft began falling at an angle. “At some point we started falling, not vertically, but at an angle. It seemed like control over the plane had been lost,” the survivor told Reuters.

Bek Air

Bek Air does not yet want to respond to the crash, but offers its condolences to the victims’ relatives. All Fokker 100s are grounded by Kazakhstan’s aviation authorities until there will be more clarity about the cause of the accident.

Bek Air is a regional airline that has a fleet of 8 Fokker 100s. The crashed Fokker 100 was 23 years old.

The Fokker will be replaced from 2021 by Irkut MC-21s.

Update:

☆ According to Tengrinews, 47 passengers were injured and were taken to the Almaty hospital, including 9 children. 4 passengers were released home after a medical examination. 12 people were killed, sitting in the front part of the aircraft.

☆ According to international requirements, representatives of the International Aviation Committee (IAC) and the aircraft manufacturer Fokker will participate in the investigation. Together they will decode the seized recorders, inspect the engine and the site of the crash.

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