Pamir Airways Flight 112

Pamir Airways Flight 112

A Pamir Airways Antonov An-24RV at Kabul International Airport (2011)
Accident summary
Date	17 May 2010
Summary	Weather-related
Site	Shakardara District, 20 kilometres (12 mi) from Kabul, Afghanistan 35°18′13″N 69°3′15″E / 35.30361°N 69.05417°E / 35.30361; 69.05417Coordinates: 35°18′13″N 69°3′15″E / 35.30361°N 69.05417°E / 35.30361; 69.05417
Passengers	39
Crew	5
Fatalities	44 (all)
Survivors	0
Aircraft type	Antonov An-24
Operator	Pamir Airways
Registration	YA-PIS
Flight origin	Kunduz Airport, Kunduz
Destination	Kabul International Airport, Kabul

Pamir Airways Flight 112 was a scheduled passenger flight from Kunduz Airport, Kunduz to Kabul International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. On 17 May 2010, the flight was operated by an Antonov An-24 carrying 39 passengers and 5 crew when it crashed onto terrain. No one onboard made it out alive.

The aircraft involved was an Antonov An-24, manufacturer's serial number (MSN) 27307903, registration YA-PIS. The aircraft first flew in 1972 and had been bought by Pamir Airways in February 2010, having spent some time in storage in Bulgaria.

Flight 112 departed Kunduz at 8:30 am local time (UTC+4:30) and all contact with the flight was lost 10 minutes later. The flight had 39 passengers and 5 crew on board when it disappeared from radar. Reports stated that the plane crashed in Salang Pass, 100 kilometres (62 mi) north of Kabul International Airport, at a speed of approximately 400 kilometres per hour (250 mph) When eventually located, the wreckage was only 20 kilometres (12 mi) from Kabul. The weather conditions were reported as poor, with a senior military commander describing the weather as "...very bad. It is snowing. There is flooding."

It was reported that the Afghanistan government had requested assistance from NATO. The organisation sent search planes to the last known position of the aircraft, but they were forced to turn back four miles from the believed crash site due to bad weather. The colonel in charge of the southern stretch of the pass said that "the only way they can search is on foot. The helicopters can't get in." The search for the aircraft resumed on the morning of 18 May, and the "crash area" was located later that day, according to Yalda Natiq, the transport ministry's head of communications.

Initial reports that the wreckage of the aircraft had been located late on Tuesday evening (18 May) proved to be false, and the search continued late on Wednesday 19 May. Afghan police, local people and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) helicopters were involved in the search. The rugged, mountainous terrain, fog and snow again hampered the search. On 20 May, it was announced that the tail section of the aircraft had been spotted.