Algiers

The aircraft was taking off from Tamanrasset to undertake, with a three-hour delay, scheduled flight DAH 6289 to Ghardaïa and Algiers. Six crew members (two flight crew and four cabin crew) and 97 passengers were on board. The co-pilot was pilot flying. No technical exemptions or deferred maintenance items applied to the airplane; on departure from Algiers it had been subject to routine maintenance for a minor technical problem, a hydraulic pump having been changed in the circuit B landing gear bay. The speeds decided on by the crew were V1 = 144 kt, VR = 146 kt, V2 = 150 kt. The EPR displayed was 2.18, that is to say nominal maximum thrust on take-off. At 14 h 01 min 37 s, the crew requested start-up clearance. At 14 h 08 min 36 s, the tower cleared the airplane to taxi, enter and taxi up runway 02. The wind was 330 at 12 kt. At 14 h 12 min 30 s, the co-pilot called out “we’re ready”. At 14 h 12 min 31 s, the tower cleared flight 6289 to line up and take off. At 14 h 13 min 36 s, flight DAH 6289 announced take-off. About five seconds after airplane rotation, at the moment when gear retraction was requested, a sharp thumping noise was recorded on the CVR. The airplane’s heading veered to the left, followed by a track correction. The Captain announced that he was taking over the controls. A short time later, the co-pilot told the control tower “we have a small problem”. The airplane continued to climb and reached a recorded height of about 400 ft. The speed dropped progressively from 160 kt during airplane lift-off to stall speed at the end of the recording. In fact, about ten seconds before, the noise of the stick shaker is heard on the CVR (which usually indicates that the airplane is 7% from its stall speed). The “Don’t Sink” aural warning, which normally indicates a loss of altitude during take-off when the airplane is below nine hundred feet, appeared about six seconds before the end of the recording. The airplane, with landing gear extended, struck the ground on its right side. A severe fire broke out immediately. The airplane slid along, losing various parts, struck and knocked over the airport perimeter fence then crossed a road before coming to a halt in flames. The control tower immediately sounded the alert.

On final approach to Bamako Intl Airport, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with stormy weather and severe turbulences. The airplane went out of control and crashed 8 km short of runway. Both passengers and a crew member were injured while three other crew members were killed. Both passengers were the Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamed Seddick Benyahia and his chief of staff. They were en route to Freetown to take part to a conference about the war in the Western Sahara.

En route on a positioning flight from Algiers to Basel, the crew encountered technical problems with the right engine that failed following a loss of hydraulic pressure. The decision to divert to Valence-Chabeuil Airport for an emergency landing was taken. Eventually, the crew was forced to make a belly landing in an open field located few km from the airfield. Both pilots escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Operated by Air Algérie, the twin engine aircraft was chartered by an Oil Company to transfer four French and two Algerian engineers to Biskra. While cruising in limited visibility, the crew started the descent when the airplane struck a mountain slope located in the Aurès Mountain Range. The wreckage was found near Arris, some 80 km northeast of Biskra Airport. All eight occupants were killed, among them to French pilots.

Flight MS844 was a scheduled international flight from Algiers to Cairo with an intermediate stop at Tripoli. Departure on the outbound flight Cairo - Tripoli - Algiers had been delayed 29 hours due to adverse weather conditions along the route. At Algiers, following testing of the systems, the fire warning light of Zone I in n° 3 engine stayed "ON". Local personnel, who were not familiar with Comet aircraft, attempted to rectify the discrepancy and this caused a further delay of nearly 2 1/2 hours. The light eventually extinguished and the pilot-in-command, who had been considering cancellation of the flight and returning to Cairo without passengers, then decided to proceed with the service. There was no evidence that the crew had asked for, or received, a weather forecast before departing Algiers for Tripoli; however, it is possible that a verbal forecast was obtained. The QNH at Algiers was 1011 mb. As the aircraft entered the Tripoli Control Area, the crew was provided with a weather report which included a horizontal visibility of 1000 meters due to sand haze. This was below the minimum authorized by the airline; however, the vertical visibility was unlimited. The pilot-in-command checked Benina weather and then decided to attempt a landing at Tripoli wfth Malta as the alternative: he stated that he had 3 hours 50 minutes endurance. Both Tripoli Control and Tripoli Tower gave him a QNH of 1008 mb, additionally Tripoli Control gave an opinion that visibility was better than 1 000 m, and Tripoli Tower gave an opinion that he could see "3 kilometres". The airport's VOR was not available as it required calibration; the only ground aid available was the ADF facility. Coming from Algiers, the approach over the beacon located 0.6 NM north of Runway 18, the runway in use, involved joining the holding pattern in the opposite direction to the circuit so that a tear drop turn was necessary to re-approach the beacon on the outbound leg on an ADF procedure turn. Shortly after passing the beacon for the first time, the pilot-in-command reported at 3 000 ft. The last message received was when the aircraft was passing the beacon outbound for an ADF approach procedure turn. The altitude was not stated subsequent to entering the holding pattern.The flight path to Runway 18 crossed an expanse of sand dunes 160 ft AMSL rising steeply to 425 ft AMSL and then falling te the runway threshold elevation of 240 ft. The aircraft struck sand dunes at an elevation of 395 ft approximately 7 km before the threshold of the runway. The accident occurred at 01.25 hours GMT. The aircraft was destroyed and all 16 occupants were killed.

The airplane departed Algiers Airport late in the evening on a charter flight to Mahón, Balearic Islands, Spain, carrying three crew members and 28 members of the Algerian soccer team Air Liquide (AGAL). While cruising by night at his assigned altitude, the pilot declared an emergency at 2309LT and reported his position 65 nautical miles north of Algiers. Radar and radio contact were lost and the airplane crashed into the Mediterranean Sea. SAR operations were jointly conducted by Spanish, Algerian and French authorities but were eventually suspended few days later as no trace of the aircraft nor the 31 occupants was found. It was reported that all passengers were players, members of staff and family members of the Air Liquide soccer team who were flying to Mahón to take part to a New Year's soccer tournament.

The airplane was completing a charter flight from Marseille to Hassi Messaoud with an intermediate stop in Algiers, carrying French technicians flying to the Oil facilities in Hassi Messaoud. While in cruising altitude by night, an electrical short-circuit occurred in the cockpit panel, causing smoke to spread. The crew declared an emergency and elected to divert to Biskra Airport. While descending to Biskra, the airplane went out of control and crashed in flames in a desert area located near Aïn Naga, some 40 km southeast of Biskra. Both pilots were seriously injured while all 35 other occupants were killed.

En route from Colomb-Béchar to Algiers, the single engine aircraft struck the slope of a mountain located in the Djebel Doui, south of Aïn Defla. The aircraft was destroyed and all six occupants were killed. The flight was operated on behalf of the Aviation Légère de l’Armée de Terre (ALAT).

The crew was performing a flight from Orléans-Bricy Airbase to Reggane, southwest Algeria, on behalf of the 61st regiment of the GMMTA (Groupement des Moyens Militaires de Transport Aérien). The airplane made an intermediate stop at Algiers to pick up a passenger who should be transferred to Reggane where is based a French nuclear experimentation center. While cruising over the region of Ghardaïa, the crew encountered severe icing conditions and control was lost. The airplane crashed 12 km south of Ghardaïa and was destroyed upon impact. All six occupants were killed.

While on a flight from Algiers to Colomb-Béchar, the airplane struck the slope of a mountain located near Molière (today Bordj Bounaama). The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 15 occupants have been killed.
Crew:
Mr. Yasoni, pilot,
Mr. Vincent, radio operator,
Mr. Brillant, mechanic.