TURKEY RAIN OF DEATH IN MIDAFTERNOON IN ULUS SQUARE, IN THE HEART 
OF ANKARA, SHOPPERS, OFFICE WORKERS AND BYSTANDERS JAMMED THE STREETS . 
AT THE RAILROAD STATION NEAR BY, A RETIRED TURKISH AIR FORCE 
GENERAL HEARD A NOISE AND LOOKED UP . THE MIDDLE EAST 
AIRLINES JET-PROP VISCOUNT WAS COMING INTO A LOW-HANGING CLOUD BANK ON 
ITS WAY TOWARD A LANDING AT ANKARA AIRPORT . AND THEN, 
TO HIS HORROR, THE GENERAL SAW A TURKISH AIR FORCE C-47 
DAKOTA CARGO PLANE LUMBER INTO THE SAME CLOUD FROM THE OPPOSITE 
DIRECTION . IN A FLASH OF FLAME, THE TWO RAMMED HEAD-ON, 
DUMPING FLAMING WRECKAGE INTO THE CROWDS IN ULUS SQUARE BELOW . 
NEVER IN THE HISTORY OF FLYING HAS THERE BEEN SUCH DEATH 
ON THE GROUND FROM AN AIRBORNE ACCIDENT . AT LEAST 62 
PEOPLE ON THE STREETS WERE KILLED, AND OF ANOTHER 120 HOSPITALIZED, 
TEN WERE NOT EXPECTED TO SURVIVE . EIGHT OF THE DEAD 
LOST THEIR LIVES FROM HUGE HUNKS OF HOT METAL PLUNGING THROUGH 
THE ROOFS OF THEIR HOMES . FOUR PEOPLE IN A TAXI 
WERE CRUSHED AND KILLED BY FALLING WRECKAGE . ULUS SQUARE BECAME 
AN INFERNO OF FLAME AND CHOKING SMOKE AS FIRES TOUCHED OFF 
BY A BURST GAS MAIN BURNED OUT OF CONTROL FOR TWO 
HOURS . FIRE TRUCKS AND AMBULANCES COULD NOT GET TO THE 
SCENE, SLOWED TO A CRAWL BY THE HUNDREDS OF SCREAMING, SHOVING 
AND PANICKY PEOPLE WHO BLOCKED THE NARROW STREETS LEADING TO THE 
SQUARE . ALL 17 PEOPLE IN THE TWO PLANES 14, INCLUDING 
FIVE AMERICAN PASSENGERS, ABOARD THE VISCOUNT AND A CREW OF THREE 
ON THE DAKOTA WERE KILLED . 