N'Djamena

The twin engine aircraft departed N'Djamena on a flight to Bir Kalait, carrying 15 passengers and two pilots, among them a delegation of the Presidency. On short final, the aircraft named 'Am Djerass' was too low and struck the ground short of runway threshold. Upon impact, the undercarriage were torn off. The aircraft slid on its belly for about 200 metres before coming to rest in a sandy area with all propeller blades separated. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair but all 17 occupants escaped uninjured, among the Idriss Déby, President of the Tchad Republic who was flying to Bir Kalait to take part to the Peace and Development Forum for the Borku-Ennedi-Tibesti Region.

In unknown circumstances, the aircraft crashed upon landing at Abéché Airport and came to rest about 200 metres past the runway end, bursting into flames. At least five passengers were killed and several others were injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The accident occurred 30 minutes after the airport closing time at 1800LT.

The aircraft departed Sebha Airport, Libya, at 0250LT on a humanitarian mission to N'Djamena, carrying six crew members and a load of food aid on behalf of the Libyan Government. Upon arrival, by night, the crew informed ATC about technical problem and follow a holding pattern. Few minutes later, the aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in a vegetable plantation located near Kousséri, Cameroon. All six occupants were killed and the aircraft was totally destroyed upon impact.

The four engine aircraft departed Bergen on a cargo flight to Kome with intermediate stops in Ostend and N'Djamena, carrying six crew members and a load of various goods. For unknown reasons, the aircraft landed 800 metres past the runway threshold (Kome's runway is 1,800 metres long). Unable to stop within the remaining distance, the aircraft overran, lost its undercarriage and came to rest in a field. All six occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

The aircraft departed N'Djamena Airport on a cargo flight to Brazzaville, carrying 21 passengers, nine crew members and a load of onions and garlic. Few minutes after takeoff, the crew reported technical problems with the undercarriage and was cleared to divert to Bangui Airport. The crew completed a holding circuit over Bangui to consume fuel then later started the descent to the airport. On final approach to runway 35, all four engines stopped simultaneously due to fuel exhaustion. The aircraft stalled and crashed in a residential area located 4 km short of runway. A crew member and one passenger were injured while 28 other people were killed. There were no casualties on the ground.

While descending to Monrovia-Roberts Airport, the crew informed ATC about technical problems. The captain realized he could not reach the airport and attempted an emergency landing in an open field located about 11 km from the airfield. On impact, the aircraft lost its undercarriage and slid for few dozen metres before coming to rest. A crew member was killed while nine other occupants were rescued.

The four engine aircraft was completing a series of cargo flights on behalf of the Chadian Government. During the takeoff roll from N'Djamena Airport runway 23, the pilot-in-command started the rotation when the aircraft deviated to the left of the centerline. The captain decided to abandon the takeoff procedure and reduced power on all four engines. Out of control, the aircraft veered off runway to the left and rolled for about 800 metres before coming to rest with substantial damage to both engines n°1 and 3. All three occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was later considered as damaged beyond repair.

The twin engine aircraft departed Douala on a charter flight to N'Djamena, carrying one pilot, one steward and two members of the Chadian Government. While approaching N'Djamena Airport, weather conditions deteriorated and the visibility was limited due to a sand storm. Probably to establish a visual contact with the ground, the pilot reduced his altitude when the aircraft struck a tree and crashed about 3 km from the runway 05 threshold, near Kousséri, Cameroon. The steward was seriously injured while all three other occupants were killed, among them the pilot, a Spanish citizen and both passengers who were Amderamane Dadi, General Secretary of the Presidency, and Ali Ahmed Lanine, Chadian Minister for Economic Promotion and Development.

The aircraft was leased to a Belgian charter broker around June 1998 to operate fish charter flights between Mwanza and Vienna. The aircraft was in fact seen on many other airports, Bratislava, Ostrava and Lubumbashi. At the time of the accident, the plane is understood to have had a long list of 32 faults that needed urgent repair. Problems included a limited EGT of n°1 & 4 engines; n°3 engine constant speed drive (CSD) gearbox was consuming a 'massive amount of oil'; n°1 engine CSD generator missing; n°2 engine required bleed on takeoff and above FL330; left wing leading edge cracked and leaking; n°4 fuel tank and reserve tank gauge not working. Decision to ferry the aircraft to N'Djamena was taken on February 7. During the takeoff roll the n°2 & 3 engines failed. The takeoff was aborted but the aircraft could not be stopped within the remaining distance. It overran, lost its nose gear and came to rest 200 metres past the runway end. All seven occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Following an uneventful cargo flight from Paris, the crew completed the landing on runway 05 by night. After touchdown, the crew started the braking procedure and selected spoilers and reverse thrust. The aircraft started to veer to the left so the captain decided to reduce the use of the reverse thrust systems. On a wet runway surface, the aircraft was unable to stop within the remaining distance and overran at a speed of 10 knots. The aircraft sank on soft ground and the left main gear collapsed. The aircraft came to rest about 50 metres past the runway end and was damaged beyond repair. All six crew members escaped uninjured.