Africa

The crew was engaged in a local demonstration flight at Cape Town Airport, taking part to an airshow. With two other similar aircraft in a V formation, the Mercurius completed a low pass over Cape Town Airport then proceeded to the west. Shortly later, all three aircraft struck simultaneously the slope of the Devil's Peak shrouded in clouds and located about 15 km west of Cape Town Airport. All three aircraft were totally destroyed and all 11 crew members were killed.

The crew was completing a calibration mission at Nairobi-Wilson Airport when the airplane crashed in unknown circumstances upon landing on runway 06. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair while all three crew members were unhurt.

Apparently following a wrong approach configuration to runway 28, the aircraft was too high on the glide and landed too far down the runway. After touchdown, the airplane was unable to stop within the remaining distance, overran and eventually collided with gravel piles. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and 34 occupants were injured, seven others were unhurt.

On final approach to Fort-Archambault Airport, the crew encountered marginal weather conditions. The captain failed to realize his altitude was too low when the airplane struck the ground and crashed 4 km short of runway. The aircraft was destroyed and all three occupants were injured.

Three pilots were engaged in a local training flight at Accra-Kotoka Airport. On final approach, at an altitude of 150 feet, the left engine was voluntarily shut down to simulate a failure when control was lost. The airplane banked left, struck trees and crashed few hundred yards short of runway. All three crew members were injured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Operated by Air Algérie, the twin engine aircraft was chartered by an Oil Company to transfer four French and two Algerian engineers to Biskra. While cruising in limited visibility, the crew started the descent when the airplane struck a mountain slope located in the Aurès Mountain Range. The wreckage was found near Arris, some 80 km northeast of Biskra Airport. All eight occupants were killed, among them to French pilots.

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.

Ground looped on landing and was damaged beyond repair. No casualties.

During the takeoff roll, smoke spread in the cockpit and cabin. The pilot abandoned the takeoff procedure and stopped the airplane onto the runway. All six occupants were able to evacuate the cabin before the aircraft would be totally destroyed by fire.

Shortly after takeoff from Johannesburg-Rand Airport, while in initial climb, the left engine failed. The pilot decided to return for an emergency landing and starter a left hand circuit. Shortly later, the airplane went out of control and crashed 2 km from the runway threshold. The captain Paddy Johnston and two passengers were killed while eight other occupants were injured, among them the copilot, captain Roy Matthews.