5 killed in air cargo accident in Ukraine

· Friday, October 04, 2019

[Photo Credit: State Emergency Services of Ukraine]

An AN-12 freighter made an emergency landing Friday morning (Oct. 4) about a mile short of Lviv International Airport in Ukraine, killing five people, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine said.

The plane, with eight people on board, was carrying automotive parts from Vigo Airport in Spain. Three people were transported to a local hospital with serious injuries.

The plane was operated by Ukraine Air Alliance, which has seven AN-12s in its fleet, according to its web site. The company says it carries out cargo charter flights for business, governments and non-governmental organizations, including the UN and NATO.

Authorities are investigating the possibility that the plane ran out of fuel or there was pilot error, according to Interfax Ukraine News Agency. There was heavy fog at the time.

Eric Kulisch

Eric is the Supply Chain and Air Cargo Editor at FreightWaves. An award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering the logistics sector, Eric spent nearly two years as the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Automotive News, where he focused on regulatory and policy issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, mobility, fuel economy and safety. He has won two regional Gold Medals and a Silver Medal from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for government and trade coverage, and news analysis. He was voted best for feature writing and commentary in the Trade/Newsletter category by the D.C. Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He was runner up for News Journalist and Supply Chain Journalist of the Year in the Seahorse Freight Association's 2024 journalism award competition. In December 2022, Eric was voted runner up for Air Cargo Journalist. He won the group's Environmental Journalist of the Year award in 2014 and was the 2013 Supply Chain Journalist of the Year. As associate editor at American Shipper Magazine for more than a decade, he wrote about trade, freight transportation and supply chains. He has appeared on Marketplace, ABC News and National Public Radio to talk about logistics issues in the news. Eric is based in Vancouver, Washington. He can be reached for comments and tips at ekulisch@freightwaves.com