Antonov Engine Failed Says Report

Antonov Engine Failed Says Report

Engine failure was the cause of a crash which killed 57 people in Angola last
month according to a preliminary report.

The Russian-built Antonov came down in a field shortly after take-off from the
Angolan capital`s airport on November 15. There were no survivors.

It was the latest in a series of crashes involving Antonovs. Ten other crashes
in the past four years have killed at least 150 people.

Investigators found that the latest accident occurred after one of the plane's
left side engines failed, according to findings published in state-run daily
Jornal de Angola.

The report also accused the plane operator, charter company Asa Pesada, of
negligence for failing to keep accurate records of the amount of fuel and number
of passengers on board, the newspaper said.

The accident came just over two weeks after another Antonov plane crashed in
northern Angola, killing all 48 people on board. The government also blamed
engine failure for that accident, but the UNITA rebel group claimed it had shot
down the aircraft.

Following the crashes Angolan officials grounded all Antonov aircraft and said
they would tighten maintenance checks on civilian planes and raise the
qualification requirements for pilots.

/Airwise News/
www.avia.ru