Turkey Plane Crash

The jetliner disappeared from the radar at about 1:36 a.m. local time in a mountainous region in central Turkey, just 12 kilometers (seven miles) from the Isparta airport, where it was scheduled to land.

"We have reached the crash site by helicopter," Atlasjet CEO Tuncay Doganer told reporters in Istanbul. "Unfortunately, we were informed that there are no survivors."

The death toll, originally reported as 56, rose to 57 to include a baby who had not been included in the initial toll, Turkish Pilots Association Chairman Tuna Gurel told reporters.

The plane had left Istanbul at 12:51 a.m. and officials said the pilots had asked the tower in Isparta for permission to land just minutes before the crash.

"As the plane was approaching its descent, it sought permission to land and after receiving a positive reply from the tower, contact was lost," Anatolia's state news agency quoted local deputy governor Tayyar Sasmaz as saying.

Favorable weather conditions

Doganer said conditions were favorable when the 156-seat plane went down.

"There was no rain, snowfall or storm at the plane's destination," he said. "There were no technical problems. The pilot was in communication with the tower until the plane disappeared."

The exact cause of the accident won't be determined until investigators are able to examine the "black boxs," which record all activity in the cockpit during the flight.

Turkish television showed a large section of the plane, with emergency exits open, intact on the side of a forested hill. It appeared the front and back of the aircraft were smashed.

"No matter what measures you take, plane accidents happen and we see that 80 to 85 percent are due to human mistakes," said Transport Minister Binali Yildirim.

All of the passengers and crew members on board are believed to be Turkish nationals. Atlasjet, set up in 2001, has 15 planes and flies to destinations in Turkey and overseas, including Austria, Finland, Italy, Spain and several Balkan countries.