Cambodia grounds aging Russian-made planes following recent crash

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodia has ordered two local airlines to suspend flights of four aging Russian-made cargo planes following a recent crash, government officials said Wednesday.
The order was issued Tuesday to the two companies, Imtrec Aviation Co. Ltd. and PMT Air, said Mao Has Vannal, director of Cambodia's Civil Aviation Secretariat.

He said the government took the measure following a crash last week of a Russian-made AN-12 cargo plane operated by Imtrec Aviation.

"The main intent of the order is for the safety of aviation and to avoid more risks," Mao Has Vannal said.

Two of the five Uzbek crew members were injured in the crash about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the main airport in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh.

The plane, carrying 11 tons of clothing, was on its way to Singapore but was forced to turn around because of engine problems. It crash-landed in a flooded rice field.

It was not clear when the order would be lifted. Mao Has Vannal said Cambodia would also seek recommendations from the International Civil Aviation Organization about the safety of the planes.

The order will affect four Russian-made planes, said Chea Aun, director-general of the Civil Aviation Secretariat's technical department. He said the planes are more than 30 years old.

He said two are AN-12 and AN-26 cargo planes belonging to Imtrec Aviation. The other two are AN-12 cargo planes operated by PMT Air, a small Cambodian airline whose Russian-made AN-24 passenger plane crashed in mountainous jungle in southern Cambodia in June. Thirteen South Korean tourists were among 22 people who died in the crash.