Dakar

Site:

Schedule:

Buenos Aires – Rio de Janeiro – Natal – Dakar – Algiers – Rome

MSN:

1292

YOM:

1946

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After touchdown, the four engine aircraft christened 'Maestrale' went out of control, veered off runway and came to rest in flames. All 13 occupants were rescued while the aircraft was destroyed by fire.

Crash of a Short S.25 Sunderland III off Dakar: 10 killed

Date & Time: Sep 16, 1949

Type of aircraft:

Short S.25 Sunderland

Operator:

Registration:

ML851

Flight Phase:

Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance

Flight Type:

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Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

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Shortly after takeoff from Dakar-Yoff Airport, the seaplane registered ML851 (7.F-1) went out of control and crashed into the sea off the suburb of Les Almadies. All ten crew members were killed.

Crash of an Avro 685 York in Dakar: 6 killed

Date & Time: Apr 13, 1947

Type of aircraft:

Avro 685 York

Operator:

Registration:

G-AHEZ

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Schedule:

London – Lisbon – Dakar – Natal – Rio de Janeiro

MSN:

1303

YOM:

1946

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On final approach to Dakar-Yoff Airport, the captain decided to go around due to low visibility causes by poor weather conditions. A second and a third attempt to land were aborted few minutes later. During the fourth attempt, while short of fuel, the aircraft landed hard and the undercarriage were sheared off. The aircraft slid on its belly for several yards and came to rest, broken in two. Six passengers were killed while nine other occupants were injured.

Probable cause:

Regarding the flight plan, there was too great errors in the ETA and the endurance was inexact. Lack of decision on the part of the pilot who, after his second attempt to land, and in view of his insufficient petrol reserve, should have carried out the diversionary plan.
The lighting of the runways was inadequate: there were no approach lights and there are no wireless facilities for landing in bad visibility at Dakar-Yoff Airport.
Contributory Causes:
Difficulties in exchange of radio telephony communications between the control tower and the aircraft,
Insufficient knowledge of the English language by the controllers in the tower, according to the Americans and British,
As regards to the crew, there certainly appears to have been a slight nervousness during the attempts to land,
The danger to passengers in the case of cabin fuselage below the wing in the event of a forced landing elsewhere than on a runway,
Lack of knowledge of the alternate airfield of Thies by BSAA crews. Thies was given on the old general aeronautical maps but at the time of the accident, no schedule for this aerodrome has yet been published by the Aeronautical Information Section. This schedule was available following the publication of the final investigation report.

Crash of a De Havilland DH.60G Gipsy Moth near Dakar

Date & Time: Jan 22, 1945

Type of aircraft:

De Havilland DH.60 Moth

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Registration:

44-90485

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Few minutes after take off from Dakar-Yoff Airport, the engine failed, forcing the pilot to attempt an emergency landing. The aircraft crash landed some 10 miles northeast of the airport and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. The pilot, 2nd Lt Frank L. Loftus, was injured.

Probable cause:

Engine failure.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-80-DL in Dakar

Date & Time: Mar 28, 1944

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

43-15177

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

MSN:

19643

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Crashed on take off for unknown reason. No casualties.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-80-DL in Dakar

Date & Time: Mar 11, 1944

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

43-15089

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Military

Site:

Vickers 458 Wellington XI

MSN:

19555

YOM:

1944

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Crashed on take off in unknown circumstances.

Crash of a Vickers 458 Wellington XI in Gorée: 2 killed

Date & Time: Nov 24, 1943

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

MP691

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Dakar - Dakar

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Crashed in unknown circumstances on Gorée Island, off Dakar. Two crew members were killed and five others were injured.

Crash of a Dewoitine D.342 in Ameur el Aïn: 25 killed

Date & Time: Sep 27, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Dewoitine D.342

Operator:

Registration:

F-ARIZ

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Paris – Marseille – Algiers – Dakar

MSN:

YOM:

1939

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Few minutes after take off from Algiers-Maison Blanche Airport, while climbing in good weather conditions bound for Dakar, the three-engine aircraft went out of control and crashed in flames in Ameur el Aïn, west of Blida. All 25 occupants were killed. Most of the passengers were family members (children and spouses) of Air France's employees transferred in Dakar. Among them the wife and the son of the French General Jean Barrau, Chief of French troops based in the French West Africa.
Crew:
Gaston Chenu, pilot,
Robert Arnoult, pilot,
Pierre Casanova, pilot,
Fernand Renier, flight engineer,
André Beaufils, flight engineer,
Albert Jellade, radio navigator,
Robert Haeflinger, barman.

Probable cause:

The exact cause of the accident was not determined. However, the assumption that the accident was caused by the explosion of a bomb was raised. At the time of the accident, the French General Charles Noguès was supposed to take this airplane to Dakar but during the stopover in Algiers, he changed his itinerary and embarked on the Martin 167 of the French General Bergeret bound for Casablanca. His personal stuff were still in the Dewoitine at the time of the accident.

Crash of a Lockheed 18-07 LodeStar in Port-Étienne

Date & Time: Jul 2, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Lockheed 18 LodeStar

Operator:

Registration:

F-ARTL

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Postal (mail)

Survivors:

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