Ice buildup was the probable cause for the 2019 Kazakhstan plane crash

On December 27, 2019, a Kazakhstan plane crashed within a minute of takeoff.

This Day In Weather History is a daily podcast by Chris Mei from The Weather Network, featuring stories about people, communities and events and how weather impacted them.

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On today's episode of "This Day In Weather History," we're recounting the December 27, 2019, Kazakhstan plane crash. The official cause of the crash is recorded as ice buildup on the plane's wings. This is what happened.

Bek Air Flight 2100 was flying from Almaty to Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. The Fokker 100 took off from Almaty International Airport at 07:21 and crashed into a nearby two-storey building at 07:22.

Out of the 93 passengers and 5 crew on board, 13 died and 66 were injured.

Crash scene on December 27th in Almaty, Kazakhstan Courtesy Instagram /maral_yerman via Storyful

Courtesy of Instagram/maral_yerman via Storyful

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The deputy prime minister of Kazakhstan, Roman Sklyar, shared that a special government commission investigated the cause of the crash and ruled out technical malfunction, human error, or the influence of other aircraft.

Crash scene on December 27th in Almaty, Kazakhstan

Courtesy of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty via Storyful

The commission concluded the accumulation of ice on the plane's wings was most likely the cause of the malfunction.

Skylar shared that "The plane was stationed at the airport in frigid weather for two days and ice buildup on it, which most likely caused the accident," but also mentioned that the investigation would continue.

Credit: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty via Storyful

Courtesy of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty via Storyful

To listen to quotes from survivors and hear more details about the day of the crash, listen to today's episode of "This Day In Weather History."

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