[citation needed] The plane crashed at 0700 UTC,[10] about 2.5 km (1.6 mi; 1.3 nmi) away from Balad Air Base, the main hub of US military logistics in Iraq, while attempting to land.

[11] An anonymous ministry official told the Associated Press that the pilot had already aborted one landing attempt due to poor weather conditions.

[14] The other survivor, a Turk named Abdülkadir Akyüz,[15] was carried by an Army ground ambulance to the Air Force Theater Hospital, where he received life-saving emergency surgery.

The statement said that their members had "opened fire on a plane trying to land at an American base near Balad from different directions, using medium-range weapons... With the help of God, they were able to shoot it down.

"[4] After the wreckage was photographed in situ, the army hauled it away on flatbed trucks to the base, where it is presently secured[dubious – discuss].

[citation needed] As well as the ongoing question of fog, Ahmed al-Mussawi, spokesman for the Iraqi transport ministry, said one day after the crash that "It must have been technical failure or a lack of aviation experience (on the part of the crew),".

[4][19] Ali Ariduru, deputy head of the Turkish aviation authority, said initial information indicated there was no technical malfunction on the plane.