All presumed dead in Moldovan air disaster.

A Kata Air Transport (Sudan) Antonov AN-32 crashed at 19.15 GMT on approach to Chisinau International Airport in Moldova, presumably killing all eight (8) aboard. The aircraft departed the airfield for Khartoum, Sudan at approximately 1902 GMT, but the flightcrew elected to return to the airport citing faulty equipment onboard. The aircraft reportedly exploded during landing when its wing hit navigation objects located next to the runway. As of 0500 GMT today, seven of the eight bodies of those onboard had been recovered. According to the central controller’s office at the airport, the plane crew consisted of four Moldovan nationals and four citizens of Ukraine.

The airplane was flying from Chisinau to Antalya and Sudan. Preliminary investigation shows the accident was caused by malfunctions in the engine. The crew decided to return to the airport soon after the takeoff due to malfunctions in the engine. The airplane crashed during the land approach.

The An-32 belonged to one of Sudanese airlines and was registered in Sudan. The prosecutor’s office of Moldova has opened the criminal case. A special investigative commission has been created.