Zone
Cairo

Crash of a Douglas DC-4-1009 in El Badary

Date & Time: Sep 3, 1960 at 0854 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas DC-4
Operator:
Registration:
ZS-CIG
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Desert
Schedule:
Luxembourg – Cairo – Entebbe – Johannesburg
MSN:
42913
YOM:
1946
Flight number:
TRK033
Location:
El Badary
Asyut
Country:
Egypt
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
61
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
On the leg from Cairo to Entebbe, while cruising at an altitude of 9,500 feet, the engine number two caught fire. The crew feathered the propeller and elected to extinguish the fire but without success. As the fire could not be contained, the captain decided to reduce his altitude and to attempt an emergency landing. The airplane belly landed in a sandy area located near El Badary, about 30 km south of Asyut and came to rest in flames. All 67 occupants evacuated safely while the aircraft was totally destroyed by fire.
Probable cause:
A heavy fuel leak from a sheared or cracked fuel pressure pipe, which was ignited by sparks from the generator.

Crash of a Douglas C-54A-DO Skymaster in Bunia: 35 killed

Date & Time: Apr 22, 1960 at 0755 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-54 Skymaster
Operator:
Registration:
OO-SBL
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)
Survivors:
No
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Brussels – Rome – Cairo – Bunia – Stanleyville – Elisabethville
MSN:
3099
YOM:
1943
Location:
Bunia
Orientale
Country:
Democratic Republic of Congo
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
28
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
35
Circumstances:
Following an uneventful flight from Cairo, the crew started the descent to Bunia in marginal weather conditions. In limited visibility due to low clouds, the pilot-in-command continued the approach at an insufficient altitude when the four engine aircraft struck the slope of the Bogoro Peak located about 8 km short of runway. The wreckage was found 60 meters below the summit and all 35 occupants have been killed.
Probable cause:
The accident occurred because the pilot, the captain, carried out a descent while the height of cloud base (ceiling) was below the minimum required by the Administration and the Operator.

Crash of a Douglas DC-6B near Cairo: 52 killed

Date & Time: Feb 20, 1956 at 0345 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas DC-6
Operator:
Registration:
F-BGOD
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Desert
Schedule:
Saigon – Calcutta – Karachi – Bahrain – Cairo – Paris
MSN:
43835
YOM:
1953
Location:
Cairo
Cairo
Country:
Egypt
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
9
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
55
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
52
Circumstances:
The aircraft was on a scheduled flight from Saigon to Paris, France and had left Karachi for Cairo on 19 February at 1715 hours Greenwich Mean Time with 9 crew and 55 passengers aboard. The flight was routine until 0230 hours (20 February) when the aircraft reported to Cairo Air Traffic Control that it had passed Suez (60 miles east of Cairo) at 0224 at a flight level of 8 500 feet, flying VFR and was descending. At 0240 it reported the Cairo aerodrome in sight and being 15 miles out, was granted an authorization for a VFR approach and at the same time was given the QFE and QNH, 29.42 and 29.73 respectively. Contact was established with Cairo approach and the aircraft requested and received landing instructions oh 118.5 megacycles and was asked to call down wind. This message was acknowledged and was the last heard from the flight. Several attempts to contact the aircraft on all available frequencies were made but were unsuccessful. At 0450 hours the wreckage was sighted 18 miles southeast of the aerodrome. Only 6 crew members and 6 passengers survived.
Probable cause:
The accident was due to the failure of the pilot-in-command to monitor the co-pilot during a direct approach procedure and the reliance of the latter on his instruments exclusively to fix his position relative to the runway at an altitude below the minimum safe altitude. The factor of crew member fatigue can- not be ruled out
Final Report:

Crash of a SNCASE SE.161 Languedoc in Damascus

Date & Time: Apr 24, 1954
Type of aircraft:
SNCASE SE.161 Languedoc
Operator:
Registration:
SU-AHZ
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Cairo – Damascus
MSN:
19
YOM:
1945
Location:
Damascus
Damascus Governorate (مُحافظة دمشق‎)
Country:
Syria
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
17
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
On final approach to Damascus Airport, while completing the check-list, the crew noted that the three green lights related to the undercarriage were not green. The captain requested confirmation to the controller based in the tower who confirmed that all three landing gear were down. On touchdown, the rain main gear collapsed and the airplane slid for several yards before coming to rest. There were no injuries among the 22 occupants but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
Failure of the right main gear on landing. It appears it was down but not locked for unknown reasons.

Crash of a De Havilland DH.106 Comet 1 off San Lucido: 21 killed

Date & Time: Apr 8, 1954 at 2004 LT
Type of aircraft:
De Havilland DH.106 Comet
Operator:
Registration:
G-ALYY
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
London – Rome – Cairo – Addis Ababa – Nairobi – Johannesburg
MSN:
6011
YOM:
1952
Flight number:
SA201
Location:
San Lucido
Calabria
Country:
Italy
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
14
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
21
Captain / Total flying hours:
10971
Captain / Total hours on type:
86.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
1694
Copilot / Total hours on type:
47
Aircraft flight hours:
2704
Circumstances:
Owned by BOAC, the aircraft was operated by South African Airways with a SAA crew under flight SA201. It left Rome-Ciampino Airport at 1932LT (25 minutes delay due to a technical problem) with an ETA at Cairo Airport at 2220LT. While cruising at an estimated altitude of 35,000 feet off the Italian coast, the aircraft disappeared from radar screens at 2004LT and crashed into the Tyrrhenian Sea, about 17 km off San Lucido. SAR operations were quickly dispatched but eventually suspended few days later as no trace of the aircraft nor the 21 occupants was found.
Probable cause:
Owing to the absence of wreckage, we are unable to form a definite opinion on the cause of the accident near Naples, but we draw attention to the fact that the explanation offered for the accident at Elba appears to be applicable to that at Naples.
Final Report:

Crash of a Vickers 607 Valetta C.1 on Mt Jebel al Lawz: 3 killed

Date & Time: Apr 2, 1954
Type of aircraft:
Vickers Valetta
Operator:
Registration:
VW205
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Baghdad – Cairo
MSN:
361
YOM:
1949
Location:
Mt Jebel al Lawz
Tabuk (تبوك‎)
Country:
Saudi Arabia
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
While cruising by night at an altitude of 8,000 feet, the twin engine aircraft hit the slope of Mt Jebel al Lawz located about 50 km east of the Gulf of Aqaba. The wreckage was located few days later and all three crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/Lt K. W. Brimley,
F/O B. Sherburn,
Sgt T. O. Powell.
Probable cause:
It appears that the aircraft deviated from the prescribed flight plan by 88 km to the south due to strong winds blowing from the north. Due to the low visibility caused by night, the crew did not realize he was off track and failed to distinguish the mountain.

Crash of a Curtiss C-46D Commando near Cairo: 29 killed

Date & Time: Feb 9, 1953 at 1900 LT
Type of aircraft:
Curtiss C-46 Commando
Operator:
Registration:
1001
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Desert
Schedule:
el-Arīsh - Cairo
Location:
Cairo
Cairo
Country:
Egypt
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
35
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
29
Circumstances:
While descending to Cairo-Almaza, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with the presence of a sandstorm. In low visibility, the aircraft hit a sand dune located about 50 km northeast of Cairo and crashed. Eleven occupants were evacuated while 29 others were killed.

Crash of a Douglas C-53 in Cairo: 5 killed

Date & Time: Nov 19, 1951
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-53 Skytrooper (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
TC-ACA
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Ankara – Cairo
MSN:
7352
YOM:
1942
Location:
Cairo
Cairo
Country:
Egypt
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
On final approach to Cairo Airport, the airplane was too low and hit a sand dune and crashed. All five occupants were killed.

Crash of a Lockheed L-749A Constellation in Wadi El Natrun: 55 killed

Date & Time: Aug 31, 1950 at 0203 LT
Type of aircraft:
Lockheed L-749 Constellation
Operator:
Registration:
N6004C
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Desert
Schedule:
Bombay – Cairo – Rome – Geneva – Paris – Shannon – Gander – New York
MSN:
2636
YOM:
1950
Flight number:
TW903
Location:
Wadi El Natrun
Beheira
Country:
Egypt
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
48
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
55
Captain / Total flying hours:
10664
Captain / Total hours on type:
864.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
6355
Copilot / Total hours on type:
363
Aircraft flight hours:
1100
Circumstances:
The four engine aircraft christened 'Star of Maryland' left Cairo-Faruk Airport at 0135LT and was cleared to climb to 14,000 feet. While flying to the northwest at an altitude of 10,000 feet, the engine number three caught fire. The propeller was feathered but the crew was unable to extinguish the fire. the Cairo control tower received a routine position report at 23:55Z "off Cairo 2335 25 miles out of Cairo at 2343 estimated time of arrival Rome 0530" which was acknowledged but the flight did not reply with the customary "Roger". No other message was received from the flight despite frequent attempts to contact it by several stations. At or about the time of the receipt of the above message a number of persons on the desert to the northwest of Cairo saw the aircraft afire in flight. The aircraft turned back as if intending to land at Cairo, but the fire rapidly increased, causing the burning engine to fall free. The crew attempted a night emergency landing in a desert area located about 100 km northwest of Cairo. The aircraft crashed and disintegrated on impact. All 55 occupants were killed, among them tourists, engineers and US diplomats.
Probable cause:
The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the failure of the rear row master rod bearing causing an uncontrolled fire which precipitated a crash landing.
The following findings were reported:
- The rear row master rod bearing of No. 3 engine failed during the climb to cruising altitude,
- This bearing failure precipitated a fire in the No. 3 power plant, the No. 3 propeller was feathered,
- The aircraft was turned back toward Cairo and the burning engine shortly fell free,
- Fire continued in the right wing and an attempted night landing on the desert resulted in destruction of the aircraft.
Final Report:

Crash of a Lockheed L-749-79-33 Constellation off Bari: 33 killed

Date & Time: Jun 23, 1949 at 1055 LT
Type of aircraft:
Lockheed L-749 Constellation
Operator:
Registration:
PH-TER
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Jakarta – Port-Louis – Cairo – Amsterdam
MSN:
2541
YOM:
1947
Location:
Bari
Apulia
Country:
Italy
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
11
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
22
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
33
Circumstances:
The four engine aircraft christened 'Roermond' left Cairo Airport at 0508LT bound for Amsterdam with an ETA at 1445LT. While cruising along the east Italian coast at an altitude of 5,000 meters, the airplane went out of control and entered into a dive. During the near vertical descent, the tail broke off, the aircraft came upside down and eventually crashed into the Adriatic Sea, some 1,5 to 2 km off shore, near Bari. The wreckage sank by 35 meters deep and only few debris were found. All 33 occupants were killed.
Crew:
Johan Cornelis (Hans) Plesman, pilot (son of Albert Plesman, Director of KLM),
Jacobus Tuyt, pilot,
Jan van Kuyk, pilot,
Albert George Modard, pilot,
Leendert Post, radio operator,
Jacques Marinus Willem Hout, radio operator,
Dirk Martinus Grandia, flight engineer,
Johan Albert van der Meer, flight engineer,
Pieter Jelles Overbeek, steward,
Cornelia Antoinette Timmermans, stewardess,
Jan Hendrik Ross, cooker.
Probable cause:
As only few debris were found, investigations were unable to determine the exact cause of the accident. Nevertheless, it was the opinion of the experts that the loss of control may have been caused by a failure of the automatic pilot system.
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