Colombo - Palaly

On February 21, 1997 at 10:45 AM, Colombo - Palaly experienced a crash involving Antonov AN-32, operated by Sri Lanka Air Force, with the event recorded near Colombo-Ratmalana Western Province (<U+0BAE><U+0BC7><U+0BB2><U+0BCD> <U+0BAE><U+0BBE><U+0B95><U+0BBE><U+0BA3><U+0BAE><U+0BCD>).

The flight was categorized as military and the reported phase was takeoff (climb) at a airport (less than 10 km from airport) crash site.

63 people were known to be on board, 4 fatalities were recorded, 59 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 6.3%.

Crew on board: 4, crew fatalities: 0, passengers on board: 59, passenger fatalities: 4, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. During the takeoff roll at Colombo-Ratmalana Airport, the captain was ready to start the rotation when he suspected a technical problem and decided to abort the takeoff. At the same time, confusion sets in the cockpit and the copilot inadvertently retracts the landing gear, causing the aircraft to sink on the runway. It slid for few dozen metres and came to rest, bursting into flames. Four passengers were killed.

Aircraft reference details include registration CR-865, MSN 35 10, year of manufacture 1996.