[2] The Ukrainian-Mediterranean Airlines Yakovlev Yak-42 was a chartered aircraft being used to transport Spanish troops after a four-month peacekeeping tour of Afghanistan.

The aircraft crashed into the side of a mountain near the town of Maçka, 15 miles (24 km) from Trabzon, on its third attempt to land in dense fog.

[1] Spanish defence minister Federico Trillo stated, "the meteorological conditions and dense fog caused the drama.

"[7] NATO Secretary-General George Robertson stated, "This is an appalling tragedy, given that these soldiers were serving the interest of peace in a difficult mission in Afghanistan.

"[5] In 2004, the Spanish government sacked three generals after it was discovered that 22 of the victims' bodies had been misidentified and returned to the wrong families.