Date & Time:
Aug 29, 1999 at 1630 LT
Type of aircraft:
Learjet 35
Operator:
Corporate Jets
Registration:
N350JF
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Delivery
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Naples - Luxor - Djibouti City - Johannesburg
MSN:
35-219
YOM:
1979
Country:
Ethiopia
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
2
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
2
Aircraft flight hours:
5434
Aircraft flight cycles:
3657
Circumstances:
The aircraft departed Naples, Italy, on a ferry flight to Lanseria, with intermediate stops in Luxor and Nairobi. The aircraft was ferried in South Africa to be refurbished as it was recently purchased by a new owner. Because of the border-crossing prohibition a second flight plan was filed via Djibouti City. While cruising at an altitude of 41,000 feet, the aircraft deviated from the initial route and crossed the border between Eritrea and Ethiopia. At 1630LT, the aircraft was shot down by ground fire, entered a dive and crashed near the city of Adwa. Three days of negotiation with the Ethiopian government were necessary to clear a rescue team to visit the crash site. The aircraft was totally destroyed and both pilots, a British and a Swedish citizen, were killed.
Probable cause:
According to Ethiopian Authorities, the aircraft was shot down after it penetrated the Ethiopian airspace without valid clearance. At the time of the accident, the area was declared as a non-flying zone and the route was closed to all traffic via a NOTAM. The aircraft was mistaken for an Eritrean fighter aircraft with hostile intention and was therefore shot down by the Ethiopian Defense Force and destroyed.
