Kam Air - Incidents and Accidents

Incidents and Accidents

On 3 February 2005, Kam Air Flight 904, a Boeing 737-200 operated by Phoenix Aviation, flying from Herat International Airport in western Afghanistan vanished from radar screens on approach to Kabul International Airport in poor weather, sparking a massive ANA search operation for the 96 passengers and eight crew. The wreckage of the plane was found on 5 February 2005 in the mountains east of Kabul. All 104 people aboard were killed.

On 9 August 2009, a Kam Air plane bound for the Ürümqi Diwopu International Airport, China was refused permission to land and diverted to Kandahar International Airport, in southern Afghanistan after an earlier alleged bomb threat.

On 11 August 2010, Douglas DC-8-63F YA-VIC suffered a tailstrike on take-off from Kent International Airport, United Kingdom, destroying an approach light. The aircraft was operating an international cargo flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina via the Cape Verde Islands. The incident was caused by the aircraft being overweight, due to excess fuel having been uploaded, making the aircraft 25,700 pounds (11,700 kg) overweight. After being informed of the tailstrike, the crew continued the flight to the Cape Verde Islands, where inspection revealed that a tailstrike had occurred, although the tailstrike indicator was within limits. The incident was investigated by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, which made four safety recommendations. A direct result of the incident, Kam Air were banned from operating within the European Union. The three crew involved were dismissed, and Kam Air announced that it would withdraw its two DC-8s from service.