The aircraft's captain was Lt-Col Nyein Chan and the co-pilots were Lt-Col Soe Thu Win and Maj Thant Zin Htay. The aircraft had 14 crew members.
Passengers
108 military staff members and their families, including 15 children, were on board when the plane lost communication with Dawei airbase. Six officers and 29 other military personnel were on board.
Disappearance
The aircraft had departed from Myeik for Yangon at 13:06 local time. At 13:35, communication was lost with the aircraft when it was west of Dawei. The aircraft was flying at at the time. A search and rescue operation was launched in the Andaman Sea. An unidentified spokesman said that weather was not thought to be a factor in the aircraft's disappearance. No mayday call had been received from the aircraft.
Search
Nine Myanmar Navy ships, and three military aircraft and helicopters were sent to assist in the search. On 7 June, debris from the aircraft was reported to have been found off Dawei by a Myanmar Navy ship. On 8 June, it was reported that 29 bodies had been found. The wreckage was scattered over a wide area, indicating that the aircraft might have disintegrated in flight at altitude. Storms in the area hindered the search. By 9 June, hopes of finding survivors were fading. It was later reported that there were no survivors. Instead, bodies and debris have been found scattered in the Andaman Sea, and some washed ashore. This was the deadliest aviation accident to occur in Myanmar, surpassing the crash of a Fokker F27 Friendship 500 in 1987, which killed 49 people. On 15 June, a fishing boat helping with the search found the tail of the aircraft off Myinkhwar Aww Bay. The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder were recovered on 18 June.
Investigation and cause
Investigators found the pilot had lost control after entering thick storm cloud. Ice had formed on the wings and sudden crosswinds had led the plane to stall, state media say. Although it was monsoon season in Myanmar, there were no reports of bad weather at the time. Communication with the flight was lost half an hour into the short, routine trip. "The accident occurred due to loss of control after experiencing adverse weather that caused the plane to stall... resulting in a nosedive," state media said. After studying black box data, investigators decided the crash was "not from any act of sabotage, explosion or engine failure". The plane was flying from Myeik to Yangon and the debris was found in the sea off the coastal town of Dawei. It remains unclear why the pilot flew into the storm, given that weather radar normally allows such clouds to be avoided.
