Turkish cargo plane crashes in Kyrgyzstan

A Boeing 747 cargo plane operated by ACT Airlines crashed Monday during its decent into Kyrgyzstan’s Bishkek-Manas Airport.    A Boeing 747 cargo plane operated by Turkish carrier ACT Airlines crashed Monday during its decent into Kyrgyzstan’s Bishkek-Manas Airport.
   The plane was flying from Hong Kong with a load of cargo when it may have encountered bad weather that led to the crash, according to various news reports.
   In addition to the four crewmembers on the plane, as many as 33 people were killed on the ground. The plane crashed into a residential area next to the airport.
   “There is no clear and confirmed information about the reasons for the incident yet,” said ACT Airlines in a statement. “Our company has commissioned two captain pilots at [Bishkek-] Manas Airport to investigate the accident together with authorities. Furthermore, our technic staff is on their way to the site.”
   Investigators from both Kyrgyz and Turkish ministries of transport are also investigating the crash.
   ACT Airlines said the crew rested for 69 hours in Hong Kong before starting the six-hour flight to Bishkek-Manas. The 747, which was manufactured in 2003, carried 85,619 kilograms of cargo on the flight. “There are no faults recorded in the technical log book of the aircraft,” the airline said.