ANNEX F: ATLAS GLOBAL AIRLINES FLIGHT KK1185: AN UNUSUAL FLIGHT PATH?

Annex F

Atlas Global Flight KK1185: An Unusual Flight Path?

In response to a concern expressed by a family member of one of the victims of Flight PS752 that Atlas Global Flight KK1185 may have been deliberately avoiding Iranian military installations, the Forensic Team took a closer look at this flight, which departed IKA nearly an hour prior to Flight PS752. While the below image from Flightradar24 depicts a highly abnormal route, it is extremely unlikely the route illustrated was actually flown by Atlas Global Flight KK1185. Airliners cannot make right angle turns or other sharp movements that are beyond the design limitations of normal flight. The most likely explanation for the depiction of the jagged-looking flight route of the Atlas Global route captured by Flightradar24 is either a software technical issue or a transponder error. Flightradar24 explains that these inaccurate depictions are the result of common “glitches”. Aircraft “transponders can generate errors by transmitting random or incorrect position information” that “leads to impossible looking flight paths that often contain a jagged, switch-back look.”190

Playback of flight KK1185/KKK1185

GREAT CIRCLE DISTANCE 2,058 KM

AVERAGE FLIGHT TIME 2:57

ACTUAL FLIGHT TIME 2:54

AVERAGE ARRIVAL DELAY 0:00

FROM Tehran (IKA)

TIME

1:45 AM UTC

CALIBRATED ALTITUDE GROUND SPEED

0FT GPS ALTITUDE 22 KTS TRUE AIRSPEED TO Istanbul (IST)

VERTICLE SPEED

0FPM INDICATED AIRSPEED TRACK 16O

SQUAWK 0000

AIRCRAFT Airbus A321-231

REGISTRATION TC-AGG

SERIAL NUMBER (MSN) 0806

Figure 17: Flightradar24 - Flight path of Atlas Global KK1185 on the morning of January 8, 2020