Meridian Cargo Antonov AN-12 Crashes in Greece

DALLAS - An Antonov AN-12TBK (UR-CIC) cargo aircraft of Ukrainian cargo airline Meridian (MEM) crashed west of Kavala International Airport (KVA) in Greece on its way from Nis to the capital city of Jordan, Amman.

According to data from FlightRadar24, Flight MEM3032 was en route from Nis Constantine the Great Airport (INI) to Amman Queen Alia International Airport (AMM) when it crashed about 10 NM to the west of Kavala.

At the time of this writing, there are no official reports of the cause of the accident. According to kyivindependent.com, all eight Ukrainian crew members on board were killed in the crash. The head of Meridian, Denys Bohdanovych, confirmed the crash to Deutsche Welle.

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What We Know So Far

As per a report by greekcitytimes.com, the AN-12BK was carrying 11.5 tons of Serbian-made weapons destined for Bangladesh. The pilot requested an emergency landing but unfortunately could not reach the airport.

The crash site is close to a village where locals filmed the moment of the crash. Investigations are ongoing to determine if the the crash site has hazardous materials that can threaten locals.

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About Meridian

According to its website, the airline carries out charter cargo flights worldwide and fulfills contracts with governmental and non-governmental organizations for the transportation of humanitarian goods.

In addition, MEM cooperates with the UN and NATO on delivering urgent cargo, including military and dual-use cargo.

Meridian LLC was founded on July 11, 2003, and is one of the first private airlines in Ukraine to hold international status with the ICAO call-sign MEM.

The cargo airline operates AN-12 aircraft only.

Antonov AN-12 Data

According to MEM, Antonov began production of the AN-12A in 1961 with an increased fuel capacity of up to 16600 liters and improved engines, AI-12A ( 4x4000 hp). The maximum capacity of the equipment involved in the crash was later increased to 20000 kg.

• Cruising speed of 535-550 km/h;
• Climb 10 m/s;
• Landing speed of 200 km/h;
• Service ceiling 10200 m;
• Maximum range with a load of 20000 kg - 3600 km;
• Ferry range 6,200 km;
• Takeoff/run 700/500 m;
• Required runway length of 2200 m.

This is a developing story.

Featured image: Antonov-12 (UR-CTJ). Photo: Meridian