All confirmed dead on Kata Air An-32, Moldova asks for Russian investigatory help

April 14, 2008 All eight crewmembers on board a Kata Air Transport Antonov An-32 that crashed on April 12 in Moldova are confirmed to have died. The news comes as Moldova requests Russia assist the investigation by analysing the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR).

The Sudanese operated and registered plane, manufactured in Ukraine, had departed Chişinău International Airport to travel to Khartoum via Antalya. The aircraft had rapidly disappeared from radar after takeoff due to a believed transponder failure. After air traffic control informed the flight crew a decision was made to return and perform an emergency landing, but the aircraft crashed before this could be achieved at 22:15 local time (20:15 GMT).

The crew consisted of four Moldovans and four Ukrainians. Seven bodies have been identified.