Kish Air Flight 7170
Encyclopedia
Kish Air
Flight 7170 was a scheduled passenger flight between Kish Island, Iran
and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
(UAE). The aircraft crashed while approaching to land at Sharjah International Airport
killing 43 people.
as D-AFFJ, then to Air Nostrum
for Iberia as EC-GKU prior to being delivered to Kish Air on 1 March 2002.
The investigation into the crash revealed that the pilots had accidentally selected the propellers to reverse thrust while still in the air. This caused the loss of control and the subsequent crash. The final report states that pilot error
had caused the accident.
Kish Air
Kish Air is an airline based in Tehran, Iran. It operates international, domestic and charter services as a scheduled carrier. Its main base is Mehrabad Airport, Tehran.-History:...
Flight 7170 was a scheduled passenger flight between Kish Island, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
(UAE). The aircraft crashed while approaching to land at Sharjah International Airport
Sharjah International Airport
Sharjah International Airport is located in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.Sharjah Airport is the second largest Middle East Airfreight Hub in terms of cargo tonnage, according to official 2009 statistics from Airports Council International...
killing 43 people.
The aircraft
The aircraft involved was a Fokker 50, registered EP-LCA. It first flew on 25 January 1993 with Lufthansa CityLineLufthansa CityLine
Lufthansa CityLine GmbH is a regional airline based in Cologne, Germany. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lufthansa and member of the Lufthansa Regional network. It is the largest regional airline in Europe. Its main base is Cologne Bonn Airport, with hubs at Frankfurt Airport and Munich Airport...
as D-AFFJ, then to Air Nostrum
Air Nostrum
Air Nostrum, Líneas Aéreas del Mediterráneo, S.A., also known as Iberia Regional, is a regional airline based in Valencia, Spain. Air Nostrum is an independent carrier which operates as a franchisee of Iberia Airlines. Iberia Regional franchise is a regional partner of Iberia and an affiliate...
for Iberia as EC-GKU prior to being delivered to Kish Air on 1 March 2002.
The flight
Flight 7170 departed Kish Airport, Kish Island with 40 passengers and a crew of six on board, on a flight to Sharjah International Airport, Sharjah. Whilst on final approach to runway 12 at the airport, the pilots lost control of the aircraft causing it to crash into an open space within a residential area about 2.6 nautical miles (4.8 km) from the end of the runway. Of the 46 on board, three passengers survived the crash; as of 2010 this is the worst crash involving a Fokker 50.Investigation
Two pilots of another aircraft waiting at the hold point for runway 12 witnessed the crash. The pilots had been told to taxi and hold for Flight 7170 and for that reason were watching the flight land. They told investigators that the aircraft was flying normally when the nose suddenly pitched down to a 60-degree angle and spiraled left. The investigators also learnt from the witnesses that nothing had come off the aircraft beforehand, ruling out structural failure.The investigation into the crash revealed that the pilots had accidentally selected the propellers to reverse thrust while still in the air. This caused the loss of control and the subsequent crash. The final report states that pilot error
Pilot error
Pilot error is a term used to describe the cause of an accident involving an airworthy aircraft where the pilot is considered to be principally or partially responsible...
had caused the accident.
Nationalities
| Nationality | Killed | Survivors | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passengers | Crew | |||
 AlgeriaAlgeria Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab... n |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
 BangladeshBangladesh Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south... i |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 CameroonCameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the... ian |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 EgyptEgypt Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world... ian |
3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
 EmiratiUnited Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 FilipinoPhilippines The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam... |
1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
 IndiaIndia India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world... n |
13 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
 IranIran Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia... ian |
11 | 6 | 1 | 18 |
 NepalNepal Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India... ese |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 NigeriaNigeria Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in... n |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 SudanSudan Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the... ese |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 SyriaSyria Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest.... n |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 37 | 6 | 3 | 46 |