Mauritania | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The airplane crashed upon landing at Nouakchott Airport for unknown reasons. There were no casualties but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. It was performing a flight from Dakar on behalf of Air Mauritanie.

Crash of a Nord 2501 Noratlas in Fort Gouraud: 1 killed

Date & Time: Jun 15, 1965

Type of aircraft:

Nord 2501 Noratlas

Operator:

Registration:

152

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

MSN:

152

Location:

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Circumstances:

Crashed in unknown circumstances in Fort Gouraud (now Fderik). At least one crew member was killed.

Crash of a Short S.25 Sunderland V off Port-Étienne: 5 killed

Date & Time: Oct 23, 1957 at 2255 LT

Type of aircraft:

Short S.25 Sunderland

Operator:

Registration:

27.F.5

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Location:

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The seaplane overturned while landing in the harbor of Port-Étienne by night. Three crew members were killed while eight others were injured. Few hours later, two of the survivors died from their injuries.
Crew (27F Squadron):
Lt Pierre Kerblat, pilot, †
2nd Mst Savannaz, pilot,
1st Mst René Gaspard, radio operator, †
2nd Mst Revert, radio operator,
2nd Mst Marc, navigator, †
2nd Mst Orlowrai, navigator,
2nd Mst Lucien Laloux, mechanic, †
2nd Mst Proco, mechanic,
2nd Mst Le Bars, gunner, †
2nd Mst Lachasseigne, gunner,
2nd Mst Bonnet, gunner.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.81 Hermes IV near Atar: 1 killed

Date & Time: May 26, 1952 at 0845 LT

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.81 Hermes

Operator:

Registration:

G-ALDN

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Desert

Schedule:

London – Tripoli – Kano

MSN:

81/15

YOM:

1950

Flight number:

BA251

Location:

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Circumstances:

The aircraft took off on a scheduled service from Tripoli to Kano with a crew of eight and ten passengers. The weather forecast indicated fine weather en route and thunderstorms in the Kano area. Due to faulty use of the variation setting control on the Gyrosyn compass and the inability of the crew to determine the aircraft's position properly by the standard methods, the aircraft, with practically no fuel and over the desert, made a wheels-up landing in a wide depression littered with shifting sand-dunes surrounded by rocky escarpments. The port wing was torn off and the remainder of the aircraft slewed left and came to a standstill without breaking up. No fire resulted and all passengers and crew were evacuated without difficulty. Six were slightly injured but the copilot died five days later as a result of exhaustion brought about by strain and heat.

Probable cause:

Causes of the accident, in chronological order, are set out by the report as follows:
- Faulty use by the navigator of the variation setting control on the CL2 Gyrosyn compass,
- Faulty checking of compasses by incorrect astral bearing and without the aid of radio bearings,
- Incorrect inference drawn by the captain in pronouncing the CL2 Gyrosyn compass correct and the P.12 magnetic compass unserviceable,
- Fault on the part of the captain in not returning to Tripoli when the P.12 compass was regarded as unserviceable (in breach of BOAC regulations),
- Inability of the crew to realize that astro shots were being taken on the wrong stars,
- Inability of the crew to determine the aircraft's position properly by the standard methods when the VSC setting error was discovered,
- Lack of decisive action on the part of the captain once he knew he had lost his way,
- Ignorance, on the part of those on board, of the assistance which could have been afforded by Atar airfield.

Final Report:

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:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Postal (mail)

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Toulouse – Alicante – Casablanca – Port-Étienne – Dakar

MSN:

2011

YOM:

1940

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Circumstances:

Shortly after take off from Port-Étienne Airport, while in initial climb, the twin engine aircraft stalled and crashed near the runway end. All three occupants were injured while the aircraft was destroyed. The crew was completing a regular mail flight from Toulouse to Dakar.

Crash of a Latécoère 28/1 in Port Étienne: 1 killed

Date & Time: Oct 12, 1932

Type of aircraft:

Latécoère 28

Operator:

Registration:

F-AJIP

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Postal (mail)

Survivors:

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Dakar – Port Étienne – Algiers – Paris

MSN:

905

YOM:

1929

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Shortly after takeoff from Port Étienne (Nouadhibou), the aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances. The pilot Albert Pinot, sole on board, was killed.

Crash of a Breguet 14A.2 in Port Etienne: 1 killed

Date & Time: Oct 17, 1925

Type of aircraft:

Breguet 14

Operator:

Registration:

F-AEGZ

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Postal (mail)

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

MSN:

168

YOM:

1922

Location:

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Circumstances:

The pilot Guy Martin des Pallières was performing a mail flight between South America and France. While cruising over Port Etienne (Nouadhibou), Mauritania, he suffered sunstroke and lost control of the airplane that crashed on the ground. He was rescued and transferred to a local hospital where he died from his injuries a day later.