Turkish Airlines plane crashes in Amsterdam

    BRUSSELS, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Engine problems are the most possible reasons that have caused the Turkish Flight TK 1951 to crash at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport on Wednesday, reports reaching here said on Friday.

Pieter van Vollenhoven, the head of the Dutch Safety Authority, examines the wreckage of a Turkish Airline passengers plane at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport February 26, 2009. Engine problems are the most possible reasons that have caused the Turkish Flight TK 1951 to crash at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport on Wednesday according to Dutch media. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    An analysis published by the Radio Netherlands Worldwide (RNW) said that "as the aircraft approached the airport, its engines lost power."

    "The plane's forward speed therefore decreased too much in relation to its increasing downward speed. At a height of less than 300 meters the pilots would have had no chance of correcting this. Their only option would have been to turn off the autopilot and try to make a glide landing," the article said.

    "It seems certain that as the plane approached the runway its engines were no longer working," it added.

Forensic experts examine the wreckage of a Turkish Airlines passenger plane at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport February 26, 2009. Engine problems are the most possible reasons that have caused the Turkish Flight TK 1951 to crash at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport on Wednesday according to Dutch media. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    Four Americans were among the nine people killed in the crash, said Haarlemmereer Mayor Theo Weterings at a press conference at the airport on Thursday. The other five people killed were Turks. Three of them were crew members.

    He said that by Thursday evening 63 people injured were still in hospital with six in critical conditions. A total of 86 people were injured.

    Investigators, led by the Dutch Safety Board, have been working around the wreckage of the plane, which split into three parts after it made a soft-landing on the ploughed fields near Amsterdam's Schiphol airport Wednesday morning.

    The black boxes of Flight TK 1951 were found Wednesday night and have been sent to France for analysis. The engines were found around 100 meters away from the wreckage.

    The Boeing 737-800 is a short to medium range, single aisle, narrow body jet airliner. The 737 has nine variants, from the early -100 to the most recent and largest, the -900. Series -600 through -900 are still being produced.

    First envisioned in 1964, the 737 entered service in 1968. Now it has become the most ordered and produced commercial passenger jet in the world.

    Schiphol is Europe's fifth largest airport by passenger numbers. Nearly 48 million passengers passed through the airport in 2007, according to the latest figures from an industry organization, the Airports Council International.

    The airport saw an air crash in 1992 when an El Al cargo aircraft hit a tall building in the Amsterdam suburb of Bijlmermeer, killing 43 people.

    European Commission Vice President Antonio Tajani said Wednesday that the Turkish Airlines has always had good safety and security inspection results.

    "In 2008, Turkish Airlines underwent over 100 ramp inspections. The results for safety and security have always been good," said Tajani, who is responsible for transport affairs, in a statement.

    The Turkish Airlines is not on the EU's blacklist of unsafe airlines.

Four Americans dead in Turkish plane crash near Amsterdam

AMSTERDAM, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Four Americans were among the nine people dead in the plane crash on Wednesday near Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, according to local authorities on Thursday.

Haarlemmereer Mayor Theo Weterings told a press conference at the airport on Thursday that the other five people killed were Turks. Three of them were crew members. Full story

Airline official: at least 20 people injured in Turkish plane crash

ANKARA, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- At least 20 people were injured in the Turkish Airlines (THY) plane crash in Amsterdam, executive board chairman of the airline said on Wednesday.

There was no reported loss of life in the THY plane which crashed while landing at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, THY Executive Board Chairman Candan Karlitekin was quoted as saying by the semi-official Anatolia news agency.  Full story