Military

DATE=1/13/04

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-311805

TITLE=UZBEKISTAN / CRASH (L-O)

BYLINE=BILL GASPERINI

DATELINE=MOSCOW

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: A passenger plane crashed near Tashkent in the Central Asian republic of Uzbekistan today (Tuesday), killing all of the more than 30 passengers and crew on board. Bill Gasperini has more from Moscow.

TEXT: Officials say a Yak-40 passenger plane crashed and exploded as it tried to land at the airport of Tashkent, Uzbekistan's capital.

Witnesses say there were body parts strewn around the area that was cordoned off by police and rescue workers.

The interior ministry said there was heavy cloud cover and some fog in the area at the time, but that the weather was acceptable for flying. There was no other word on what might have caused the crash.

The plane reportedly belonged to the national carrier, Uzbekistan Airways, and was making a domestic flight from the city of Termez, near the border with Afghanistan.

The Yak-40 is a small jet that can carry up to 32 passengers and is one of the most common passenger planes used for making short-haul flights in the former Soviet republics.

There has been concern about aging planes built during the Soviet era due to a lack of proper maintenance facilities and lax safety standards, especially in remote areas. However, safety has improved in recent years after a series of accidents involving Soviet aircraft after the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991.

The last major air disaster involving a Soviet-built aircraft was the crash of an Ilyushin-76 almost a year ago in southeastern Iran, killing 276 people. (SIGNED)

NEB/BG/MAR/KL/FC