ELK Airways Flight 1007
On 23 November 2001, ELK Airways Flight 1007, an Antonov An-28 leased from Enimex, crashed during its approach to Kärdla Airport in Estonia. The flight had departed Tallinn for Kärdla with 14 passengers and 3 crew members on board (17 occupants in total). The aircraft was a 1986 An-28 registered ES-NOV and was operated for ELK Airways on the Tallinn–Hiiumaa route.
Weather conditions were challenging: winds up to 44 km/h, visibility about 8 km, a cloud ceiling around 370 meters, and temperatures at 0°C with likely icing. During the approach, the crew decided to switch from an instrument approach to a visual approach to avoid icing conditions. Shortly after, the aircraftImpact with treetops and then crashed into a marsh about 1.5 kilometers southeast of the runway.
Two people died: one on impact and a 10-year-old passenger who died in hospital days later, bringing fatalities to two. Fourteen others were injured, and there were 15 survivors. The crash was attributed to controlled flight into terrain caused by the crew’s decision to switch to a visual approach in icing conditions.
The incident led to a government inquiry, a temporary grounding of all Antonov An-28s in Estonia for checks, and the final report in February 2002, which found the anti-ice system alarms had been active for most of the flight. A later trial against the captain concluded with acquittal in 2011. This remains the only fatal passenger plane crash in independent Estonia.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 17:50 (CET).