Investigators probe fatal air crash

12 April 2012

Investigators have taken detailed photos of the wreckage of a Turkish Airlines Boeing 737 and analysed black box recordings in a bid to establish why the plane crashed, killing nine people and injuring 86.

Flight TK1951 from Istanbul fell out of the sky about two miles short of the runway at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport on Wednesday morning, smashing into three pieces and spraying luggage and debris across a farmer's field.

Despite the catastrophic impact, the wreckage did not burn and dozens of people walked away with only minor injuries. Emergency services evacuated the injured to nearby hospitals - six are in critical condition.

Fred Sanders, spokesman for the Dutch Safety Authority, said the flight's data recorders and voice tapes have already been sent to Paris, where crash investigation experts will analyse the recordings. He said that study would take several days.

Investigators in white overalls and blue helmets clambered in and out of the wreckage on Thursday while others inspected the remains of the plane's two engines.

Investigators will explore a wide range of possible causes, ranging from weather-related factors to insufficient fuel, navigational errors, pilot fatigue or bird strikes.

Mr Sanders said a preliminary result may be made public soon, although the full report will not be ready for months.

Turkish Transport Minister Binali Yildirim said a Turkish team of experts had left for the Netherlands to assist in the investigation. He also paid tribute to the pilot for minimising casualties by landing on the soft field.

"I would like to commemorate the pilot, who at the cost of his own life, ensured that human casualties were low," he said.

Dutch authorities said there were 72 Turks and 32 Dutch citizens on board, as well as several other nationalities. Four American Boeing employees were also aboard, according to company spokesman Jim Proulx.

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