Incident Overview

Description
THY Flight TK452, a Boeing 727-200, was destroyed when it impacted a hillside near Isparta, Turkey. All 154 occupants were killed. The aircraft had departed Istanbul-Yesilky Airport, Turkey at 22:45 hours on a VFR flight to Antalya Airport. After passing the Afyon VOR, located 210 km north of Antalya, the flight crew requested a descent from FL250 to FL130. At 23:11 hours, the crew reported seeing Antalya city lights with the 4000 m long boulevard and requested a direct runway 36 approach. Descent was continued until the aircraft impacted a hillside at 3700 ft (1130 m), near the city of Isparta, located 100 km north of the destination. It appeared that the pilot mistook the lights of a highway north of Isparta for the Antalya boulevard.
Primary Cause
Misidentification of city lights as runway indicators.Misidentification of city lights as runway indicators.Share on: