Tripoli

After takeoff from Sebha Airport, while climbing, one of the engine caught fire. The crew lost control of the airplane that crashed in a desert area located about 30 km north of the airfield, bursting into flames. All five occupants were killed.

The aircraft was completing a cargo flight from Tripoli to Damascus, carrying a load of military equipment and spare parts. While descending to Damascus Airport, the airplane was attacked and several bullets went through an engine and the tail. The crew completed an emergency descent and was able to land without further problem. Nevertheless, the aircraft was considered as damaged beyond repair.

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.

On final approach to runway 18, the crew encountered marginal weather conditions and poor visibility due to fog. Unable to establish a visual contact with the runway, the captain decided to make a go-around. Few minutes later, a second attempt to land on runway 18 was also abandoned for the same reason. In such conditions, the crew decided to change the circuit and initiated an approach from the south to runway 36. At a speed of 350 km/h, the airplane struck the ground and crashed in flames about 5,5 km short of runway threshold. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 13 occupants were killed.

Following an uneventful flight from Tripoli, the crew started a night approach to Kano-Intl Airport. On final, the airplane struck the ground 3,2 km short of runway 07 threshold and crashed. A passenger was killed while six other occupants were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed.

The aircraft was on a trooping flight from Blackbushe Airport to Idris in Tripoli and was carrying a crew of four, one supernumerary crew as passenger and thirty passengers. A few seconds after 2214LT the aircraft was observed to make its run and to take off. At 2216, it called the control tower and passed the following message, "I have got a port engine failure I am making a left-hand circuit to come in again". Having completed the downwind and base legs of this circuit, the aircraft crashed in a wood just as, or just after, it had turned onto the final approach and at a distance of about 1 200 yards from the threshold of the runway. Thirty-four of the thirty-five persons on board lost their lives.

The four engine aircraft was performing a flight from Charleston to Dhahran, carrying high ranking officers from the US, Pakistan and Iranian Army. The approach to Dhahran was completed by night and marginal weather conditions. Just past midnight, the aircraft struck the ground and crashed one km short of runway. Twelve occupants were killed while 26 others were injured. The aircraft was destroyed. At the time of the accident, there were scattered clouds with limited visibility. Six minutes prior to the accident, the visibility was estimated to three km with a northwest wind at 5 knots.

The aircraft was flying under charter to the Air Ministry and had flown from Idris Airport, Tripoli with a crew of 6 and 74 passengers, nearly all members of servicemen's families. Shortly before midnight, on landing at Blackbushe in poor visibility, the aircraft undershot the runway, hit a beech tree 3,617 feet short of the threshold, swung sharply to port, came down among pine trees about 3,000 feet from the beech tree and caught fire. Three crew members were killed by the impact and four children lost their lives due to fire.

The four engine aircraft departed runway 25 at Kano Airport for Tripoli in moderate rain and climbed to an altitude of 250 feet. The aircraft then began to lose height rapidly and although the pilot-in- command ordered full power, the descent could not be checked. Notwithstanding the increased power he was unable to prevent it striking a tree and the aircraft crashed about 1,5 mile from the end of the runway. Three crew members and 29 passengers were killed. At time of takeoff, the reported weather conditions on runway 25 were as follows: cloud 3/8, base at 2,500 feet, wind 270° at 20 knots, visibility 1,500 yards and moderate rain.

While cruising in poor weather conditions, the four engine aircraft hit the slope of a mountain located 8 km southeast of Ketama. All eight crew members were killed.