UPDATED INFORMATION REGARDING THE PLANE CRASH IN TULIARA,

UNCLAS ANTANANARIVO 001220 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR AF/E-MBEYZEROV DEPARTMENT FOR EB/TRA DEPARTMENT FOR DS/IP/AF-AKORT NTSB FOR DJONES E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAIR ECON ETRN MA SUBJECT: UPDATED INFORMATION REGARDING THE PLANE CRASH IN TULIARA, MADAGASCAR REF: A) ANTANANARIVO 1199 B) JONES/SIBLEY EMAIL 10/25/2006 ¶1. At approximately 0415 on Wednesday morning, October 25, a small, private plane crashed shortly after take-off in Tuliara (also known as Tolear),a coastal city in southwestern Madagascar. All six persons (two crew members and four passengers) on board died. The crew members have been identified as Zo Randriampenomanana and Stphane Rarivoson; both were Malagasy citizens. The passengers have been identified as Elvezio Domeniconi, Angelo Corvini, Gianluca Marcolini, and Carlo Pozzi. Initial reports stated that all four were Italian citizens, but several recent reports identify passenger Domeniconi as a Swiss national. ¶2. After learning that the aircraft was a U.S.-manufactured Cessna, a Senior Air Safety Investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) contacted Post requesting assistance (Ref B). The NTSB investigator cited the provisions of Annex 13 of the International Civil Aviation Organization, which states that the U.S. Government, as the State of Manufacturer, wanted to notify the appropriate government authority of the availability of U.S. technical assistance for the accident investigation. ¶3. Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) George N. Sibley met with Director General (DG) Francois Randriamahandry of Aviation Civile de Madagascar (ACM) on Thursday, October 26, 2006 to personally offer the investigative assistance of the NTSB. The Government of Madagascar (GOM) accepted the offer, and in doing so, stressed the need for a rapid deployment of this assistance due to the ongoing deterioration of the crash site and the impact that maintaining the security of the site will have on local law enforcement and administrative resources. ¶4. In order to initiate their investigation, the NTSB investigator requested the collection of the following information: Q: Date, time and location of the accident: A: October 25, 2006, 04:15 (local),Tuliara, Madagascar Q: The make & model of the aircraft: A: Cessna 425 Conquest Q: The serial number of the aircraft: A: 425-0032 Q: The owner and operator of the aircraft: A: Societ Malagache de Construction et de Terrassement (SMCT) and Service et Transport Aerien (STA) Q: The aircraft registration number: A: 5R-MGV Q: Flight plan filed: A: Yes Q: VFR or IFR flight: A: VFR Q: The departure and destination of the flight: A: Toliara to Antananarivo Q: The number of pilots and passengers aboard the aircraft: A: Two pilots and four passengers Q: The type of injuries to the occupants: A: All fatal Q: The circumstances of the accident: A: DG Randriamahandry stated that according to the initial investigation, the Toliara airport firefighters saw sparks coming from the aircraft immediately after take off. They saw the plane take a hard turn to the right before crashing, as if it were attempting to return to the airport. The firefighters arrived at the crash site seven minutes later and the plane was completely burned, with no possibility of survivors. Q: Weather conditions at the time of the accident: A: Clear, but still dark, departure coming shortly before dawn. Q: Contact information and identity of the Investigator-In-Charge: A: Director General Francois Randriamahandry, Aviation Civile de Madagascar (ACM),telephone +261-20-22-639-49, mobile phone +261-32-05-694-50, fax +261-20-22-247-26, email: randriaf@acm.mg or acm@acm.mg. (Note: Contact speaks fluent French and fair English). ¶4. The GOM has set up a commission to investigate the accident that is composed of four entities: Aviation Civile de Madagascar (ACM) Aeroports de Madagascar (ADEMA) Bureau des Enquetes, Accidents et Incidents (Office of Investigation, Accidents and Incidents) at the Ministry of Transport (BEAC) Agence pour la Securite de la Navigation Aerienne en Afrique et a Madagascar (Agency for Navigational Security in Africa and Madagascar) (ASECNA) ¶5. Post Point of Contact is: DCM George N. Sibley, email: sibleygn@state.gov, phone: +261-20-22-212-57. MCGEE