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Eight people including five Russians were killed and at least six critically injured when a SkyCabs company cargo plane, an AN-12 twin-engined aircraft, crashed in to a residential area at Kadirana near the Bandranaike International Airport (BIA) on Friday, most probably as a result of fuel starvation. Investigators
have been led to conclude that a shortage of engine fuel
was the immediate cause
of the crash. The six crew members and a woman and a child on the ground
were killed. At least five houses were severely damaged by the crash that
set the aircraft ablaze. The plane
was approaching the BIA runaway for a second touchdown attempt when it
crashed just outside the airport perimeter. Investigators searching the
crash on Saturday found the 'black box' which is under the examination of
the experts for further information on the functioning of the plane in the
last few minutes leading up to tragedy. The plane
carrying a cargo of 18 tonnes of textiles
from Bangkok had been unable to touchdown on schedule because of the
visibility problem. The aircraft had been put on a 'holding pattern'
requiring it to remain flying in the vicinity of the airport until it was
cleared for landing. "It
was probably fuel starvation that was the immediate cause of the
crash," one investigator said. The Director General of Civil Aviation has initiated a formal inquiry into the plane crash and has called for representations from the public regarding the "circumstances or causes of the accident".
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