PMTair Flight 241

PMTair

Industry	Airline
Founded	January 2007
Headquarters	Cambodia
Area served	Domestic flights within Cambodia; international flights to South Korea (Incheon and Busan)
Products	Passenger air transport

PMTair Flight 241 Accident Overview

Progress Multi Trade Air Flight 241 was a domestic passenger service operating between Siem Reap and Sihanoukville, Cambodia. The flight was conducted by the regional carrier PMTair using an Antonov An-24 aircraft. On 25 June 2007, the Antonov An-24B, bearing registration XU-U4A, vanished over the dense Cambodian jungle near Bokor Mountain in Kampot during its approach to Sihanoukville. A large-scale search and rescue mission was launched, involving thousands of military personnel and law enforcement officers combing the region. The wreckage was eventually located in southwestern Cambodia, to the northeast of the Dâmrei Mountains. Tragically, all 22 individuals on board—primarily tourists from South Korea—lost their lives. This incident stands as the second most fatal aviation disaster in Cambodia's history.

Investigation Findings

The inquiry into the accident concluded in March 2008. It determined that multiple factors contributed to the crash: the flight crew's choice to deviate beyond their assigned route, their decision to continue descending despite adverse weather conditions, and inadequate oversight from PMTair management. Nevertheless, Kao Sivoeun, Director of Flight Operations at Cambodia’s State Secretariat of Civil Aviation, noted that investigators were unable to definitively assign responsibility either to the airline or the pilots.

Background

The flight was operating a domestic route from Siem Reap International Airport in Siem Reap to Sihanoukville International Airport in Sihanoukville, Cambodia. Siem Reap serves as a major tourist gateway to Sihanoukville within Cambodia. Meanwhile, Sihanoukville is renowned as one of the country's top tourist destinations, particularly noted for its beaches, whereas Siem Reap is distinguished by the famous Angkor Wat temple complex.

Cambodia's tourism sector had been growing, with a significant portion of visitors originating from South Korea. Data from the Cambodian Ministry of Tourism indicated that South Korean tourists represented the largest group visiting Cambodia in 2006, with approximately 221,000 South Koreans among the total 1.7 million foreign arrivals that year. PMTair, a modest Cambodian airline, initiated service between Siem Reap and Sihanoukville in January 2007, aiming to boost the expanding tourism market that had suffered setbacks due to the country's extended civil conflict. According to PMTair's official website, the carrier operated six weekly roundtrip flights connecting Siem Reap with Incheon and Busan.

Aircraft

The aircraft involved was an Antonov An-24B, produced in 1969 at the Ulan-Ude facility in Russia, bearing the manufacturer serial number 99901908. Ownership rested with Aquiline International Ltd., based in the UAE, while PMTair was responsible for its operation. By 25 June, this aircraft had completed over 25,000 flight cycles. It was powered by two AI-24 turboprop engines and had no recorded mechanical issues prior to the accident flight.

Passengers and crew

Nationality	Passengers	Crew	Total
South Korea	13	0	13
Cambodia	2	3	5
Czech Republic	3	0	3
Uzbekistan	0	1	1
Total	18	4	22

There were 22 individuals aboard the aircraft; however, discrepancies existed among reports regarding the exact number of passengers and crew. Media outlets cited 16 passengers and 6 crew members, but the official investigation confirmed 18 passengers and 4 crew members without specifying their nationalities. Among the passengers, thirteen were from South Korea and three hailed from the Czech Republic. The Korean passengers were traveling as part of a tour group. The crew comprised three flight personnel and one cabin attendant: an Uzbekistani pilot, a Cambodian co-pilot, a Cambodian flight engineer, and a Cambodian flight attendant. Other Cambodian flight attendants were listed as passengers.

Flight 241’s captain was identified as Nikolay Pavlenko, aged 56, with co-pilot Uth Chan Dara aged 42. During this flight, control was under the co-pilot’s hands. The flight engineer was Hean Chan Dara, aged 43. Captain Pavlenko held Uzbekistani citizenship and had received training during the Soviet era. His total flying experience amounted to 10,345 hours, including more than 5,000 hours on the Antonov An-24. In contrast, co-pilot Dara had accumulated a total of 3,520 flight hours.

Flight

At 10:01 local time, Flight 241 took off from Siem Reap carrying 18 passengers and a crew of four. Co-pilot Dara was in control of the aircraft, while Captain Pavlenko served as the pilot not flying. Earlier, the crew had received weather updates via telephone from air traffic control, which indicated clouds and rain north of Sihanoukville. The flight was subsequently authorized to proceed directly to Sihanoukville.

Midway along the route between Siem Reap and Sihanoukville, the aircraft began veering left off its intended course. This deviation may have been a response by the crew to worsening weather conditions en route. However, this change in trajectory was not communicated to air traffic controllers. Although the ATC noticed the shift to the left, they chose not to inquire further with the flight crew.

At 10:36 local time, the pilots contacted Sihanoukville controllers to request information about prevailing weather conditions in the vicinity. Following this, they sought permission from Phnom Penh Control Area to descend to an altitude of 8,000 feet, which was granted. At 10:42 local time, control of Flight 241 was transferred to Sihanoukville.

Approaching their destination airport, the pilots requested clearance to descend further to 3,000 feet, which Sihanoukville ATC approved. At 10:46 local time, the aircraft dropped below Phnom Penh radar coverage and disappeared from its radar screen; however, radio contact with Sihanoukville remained uninterrupted.

One minute later, at 10:47 local time, the crew requested a further descent to 2,000 feet. Since Sihanoukville Airport lacked radar and key navigational aids such as VOR, DME, and ILS, the pilots depended on visual ground references. The controller inquired whether they had established visual contact with terrain; the crew responded that they would see the ground momentarily. When asked if they were experiencing any difficulties during descent, they replied with reassurance that everything was fine. Clearance to descend to 2,000 feet was then issued and acknowledged by the crew at 10:48 local time. This exchange marked their final communication.

Search and rescue

Communication with Flight 241 was lost at 10:50 local time, approximately five minutes before its scheduled landing. The aircraft vanished over Kampot's rugged and forested mountainous region. Authorities mobilized a search and rescue operation involving thousands of military personnel and local law enforcement officers. The effort faced significant challenges due to harsh terrain and unfavorable weather conditions.

Upon learning of the disappearance, relatives from South Korea promptly traveled from Incheon International Airport to Phnom Penh and were transported by bus to a nearby hotel. The South Korean embassy was notified immediately, prompting officials and diplomats from South Korea to visit the airport for updates. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen announced a reward of USD $5,000 for anyone locating the crash site but tempered expectations by stating that survival chances for those aboard were slim.

On the second day following the incident, helicopter teams resumed search efforts after rainfall subsided, combing through dense jungle and mountainous areas without uncovering new leads regarding the plane’s whereabouts. Prime Minister Hun Sen visited Kampot Town to coordinate search operations with senior military officials and subsequently requested assistance from the United States in deploying advanced satellite technology for locating the missing aircraft. The U.S. later joined these search efforts.

Eventually, wreckage from Flight 241 was discovered on Phnom Damrey Mountain at approximately 2,700 feet elevation; the aircraft was found inverted with bodies scattered around the site. There were no survivors among those onboard. In response to this grim finding, Prime Minister Hun Sen held a press briefing describing it as "a tragedy no one should have to endure."

Investigation

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Committee, operating under the State Secretariat for Civil Aviation, was assigned to carry out the inquiry into the crash. Assistance was provided by the Russian Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) for analyzing the aircraft's flight recorders. Nevertheless, both recorders were ultimately deemed unusable as the IAC reported they contained no data related to the accident flight. Consequently, investigators had to depend solely on air traffic control (ATC) and radar recordings for information about the flight.

Examination of the crash site revealed two distinct debris fields. Most of the aircraft's remains were found at the primary wreckage location. About 500 meters away from this main site lay the right wing and right stabilizer of the aircraft. The right wing was sharply bent at a 90° angle due to impact with trees. Based on the wreckage analysis, it was determined that the right wing and stabilizer struck trees first, causing a loss of lift that led to the aircraft crashing approximately 500 metres (1,600 ft; 550 yd) beyond the initial point of contact while inverted. Further investigation confirmed that no explosion occurred upon impact, as stated by Cho Hee-Yong, spokesperson for the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. All victims except one were found inside the fuselage.

Review of ATC communications uncovered no irregularities in exchanges between controllers and the flight crew. However, investigators observed that most communication—including several critical segments—was conducted in Khmer language rather than English, despite the fact that the flight commander was an Uzbek national who did not understand Khmer. Due to the cockpit voice recorder being unusable, it could not be verified whether the co-pilot relayed or translated these communications to the commander.

Radar data confirmed that the aircraft deviated left from its assigned flight path. This deviation likely resulted from adverse weather conditions near Sihanoukville, where satellite imagery indicated extensive cloud cover. The plane entered these clouds, reducing visibility significantly. Investigators concluded that disoriented about their exact location, the crew chose to continue descending despite worsening weather conditions. The aircraft ultimately collided with trees and terrain approximately 27 nautical miles (50 km; 31 mi) from the airport.

In March 2008, Cambodian authorities finalized their investigation into Flight 241’s crash. The report identified three contributing factors: the crew’s decision to navigate through mountainous terrain without precise knowledge of their position or surrounding topography; their choice to persist with descent amid poor weather; and inadequate oversight by PMTair management. The investigation did not definitively assign primary responsibility, leaving uncertainty as to whether fault lay with PMTair or with the pilot.

Aftermath

Following the accident, South Korean aviation officials promptly conducted safety audits on PMTair along with six additional international carriers. These included Dalavia, Garuda Indonesia Airlines, Iran Air, Royal Khmer Airlines, Sakhalinsk Airlines, and Vladivostok Air. Subsequently, Cambodian regulators halted all domestic flights operated by PMTair. Operations were permitted to recommence only after the investigative findings were published. Ultimately, the airline discontinued its services in 2008.

In 2011, a court in South Korea ruled in favor of 11 victim families, mandating PMTair to provide compensation amounting to KRW 3.2 billion.

See also

• Trigana Air Service Flight 267
• Vietnam Airlines Flight 815
• Angara Airlines Flight 2311, another Antonov An-24 that crashed during approach.

External links

• Image of the aircraft before the accident
• Cambodia plane search photo gallery, BBC