May 27, 2003	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 24,1424

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ANKARA, May 26: Pilot error was blamed on Monday after a Ukrainian transport plane crashed in thick fog in Turkey’s Black Sea region killing 62 Spanish peacekeepers and a 12-man Ukrainian crew.

The plane, an Ukrainian-operated Yak-42 transport aircraft, was flying the Spanish troops home from missions in Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan, and crashed on its second attempt to land at the port of Trabzon for refuelling, civil aviation officials said.

The plane crashed into the hills behind Trabzon, city governor Aslan Yildirim said.

“Even if it is still too early to state definitively, it seems that there was a pilot error because the plane hit the mountain for no apparent reason,” said a Turkish civil aviation official, who requested anonymity.

Ukraine President Leonid Kuchma has ordered an inquiry into the crash and sent condolences to the families of the 12 Ukrainians and to Spain’s King Juan Carlos, his spokeswoman Olena Hromnitska said, quoted by Interfax news agency.

The crash of the Yak-42, owned by Ukrainian charter company Sredizemnomorskiye, was the third accident involving Ukrainian planes in less than six months.

But a company official defended their safety record saying, “this airplane belonged to our company and followed all security norms.”

And the Turkish aviation official said Trabzon was equipped to modern standards. “The conversation between the control tower and the cockpit is now being decoded,” he said.

The Spanish defence ministry said the dead included 40 army soldiers, 21 members of the air force and one civil guard.

Pope John Paul II and France, as well as Turkey, sent condolences to Spain over the tragedy, and Spanish Defence Minister Federico Trillo was due to travel to Turkey to help arrange for the repatriation of the bodies, the ministry said in Madrid. Some 30 bodies have so far been recovered.

The aircraft took off from Kabul late on Sunday, stopped off in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and was headed for Zaragoza, Spain.—AFP