Moldovan crewmembers killed in Iraqi plane crash

Citizens of Moldova, the crew members of the AN-26 aircraft, which crashed in Iraq on January 9, lost their lives with other 29 passengers on board. Only one Turkish citizen has survived the crash, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to sources from the Civil Aviation Authority (ASAC) of Moldova, the plane was on a humanitarian mission and took off from the southern Turkish town of Adana. Five crewmembers, all of them Moldovan citizens, 29 Turkish workers and a US citizen were on board the AN-26 aircraft, operated by Moldova’s “Aerian-Tur-M” company. The plane went down in heavy fog near an airport in Balad, north of Iraqi capital, on the pilot’s second landing attempt. The crash killed 34, including the crewmembers: pilot Anatol Sheflediuc, copilot Sergiu Mashtelear, flight engineers Alexei Ganja and Grigore Ciupricov, and flight attendant Petru Sarbu. So far, only seven bodies have been identified. The crewmembers’ relatives are expected to arrive in Adana for identification procedures. ASAC requested permission from Iraqi aviation authorities to participate in official investigations. Also, ASAC intends to re-inspect the “Aerian-Tur-M” company in order to examine causes that might affect flight safety.