Montréal, 17 January 2017 – The Council President and the Secretary General of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) expressed the UN agency’s deepest condolences today for the families and friends of the victims of ACT Airlines Flight TK6491, a scheduled cargo flight from Hong Kong to Istanbul, Turkey, which was lost due to unknown causes on 16 January 2017.
An accident investigation into the loss of Flight TK6491 has now been launched by Kyrgyzstan authorities, as per the associated provisions of Annex 13 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention).
"On behalf of ICAO, I would like to express our compassion for the victims and the communities affected by this tragic accident. We will work with the global civil aviation community on any associated risk mitigation recommendations appropriate to our role,” declared the UN agency’s Council President, Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu.
"Any accident or incident resulting in loss of life is always a matter of utmost regret and concern to ICAO and to the entire air transport community. ICAO offers our condolences as we await the Annex 13 accident investigation Preliminary and Final Reports to learn more about the causes and contributing factors of this event, added ICAO’s Secretary General, Dr. Fang Liu.
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About ICAO
A specialized agency of the United Nations, ICAO was created in 1944 to promote the safe and orderly development of international civil aviation throughout the world. It sets standards and regulations necessary for aviation safety, security, efficiency, capacity and environmental protection, amongst many other priorities. The Organization serves as the forum for cooperation in all fields of civil aviation among its 191 Member States.
Background: International Accident Investigations
This Fact Sheet explains how accident investigation participating States are determined, as well as the process leading to the issuance of an accident investigation Preliminary Report (within 30 days of the event) and Final Report (asap or within 12 months of the event) following completion of the investigation.
Final Reports ultimately provide as much official information as possible on an accident’s contributing causes and factors, as well as any official recommendations on how applicable aviation safety frameworks should be amended in the future.
ICAO does not normally participate in aircraft accident investigations, except when the State or States with due authority under Annex 13—Accident Investigation request its assistance directly. In those exceptional circumstances, said assistance normally involves ICAO acting as an official observer and/or clarifying various Annex 13 technical requirements when requested.
The ICAO Aviation Safety website
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