Crash of an Antonov AN-24B in Cairo

Date & Time: Mar 14, 1970
Type of aircraft:
Antonov AN-24
Operator:
Registration:
SU-AOC
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
MSN:
57302103
YOM:
1965
Location:
Cairo-Intl
Cairo
Country:
Egypt
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
11
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from Alexandria Airport, the crew informed ATC about the explosion of the left engine and requested the permission to divert to Cairo-Intl Airport for an emergency landing. Due to severe damages caused by the explosion, the crew was unable to lower the gear nor the flaps. Eventually, the captain decided to belly landed in a sandy area located near the runway 05. The airplane slid for dozen yards, came to rest and was damaged beyond repair while all 15 occupants escaped uninjured.
Probable cause:
Explosion of the left engine due to the presence of a foreign object in the rear cone of the left engine nacelle.

Crash of a Douglas DC-6B in Asmara

Date & Time: Mar 12, 1970 at 1210 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas DC-6
Operator:
Registration:
ET-AAY
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Addis Ababa - Asmara
MSN:
45524/994
YOM:
1958
Location:
Asmara
Maekel
Country:
Eritrea
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Aircraft flight hours:
19646
Circumstances:
After landing at Asmara-Yohannes IV Airport, the four engine aircraft was unable to stop within the remaining distance. It overran, lost its undercarriage and came to rest in flames. All four occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the crew failed to use the thrust reverser systems after touchdown.

Crash of a Pilatus PC-6/B1-H2 Turbo Porter in Potgietersrus

Date & Time: Mar 2, 1970
Type of aircraft:
Pilatus PC-6 (Porter & Turbo Porter)
Operator:
Registration:
HB-FEU
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Spraying (Agricultural)
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
MSN:
698
YOM:
1969
Location:
Potgietersrus
Limpopo
Country:
South Africa
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The single engine airplane crashed in unknown circumstances in Potgietersrus while completing a crop spraying flight. There were no casualties.

Crash of a Douglas Douglas C-47A-50-DL in Congo: 17 killed

Date & Time: Feb 19, 1970
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
9Q-CUD
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
MSN:
9780
YOM:
1943
Location:
Democratic Republic of Congo
All Democratic Republic of Congo
Country:
Democratic Republic of Congo
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
14
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
17
Circumstances:
Crashed in unknown circumstances somewhere in DRC. All 17 occupants were killed.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-50-DL in Kinshasa

Date & Time: Feb 15, 1970
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
9Q-CUP
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
MSN:
10063
YOM:
1943
Location:
Kinshasa-N'Djili
Kinshasa City Province
Country:
Democratic Republic of Congo
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Suffered an accident at Kinshasa-N’Djili Airport. There were no casualties.

Crash of an Antonov AN-24B in Luxor

Date & Time: Jan 30, 1970
Type of aircraft:
Antonov AN-24
Operator:
Registration:
SU-AOK
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
MSN:
67302805
YOM:
1966
Location:
Luxor
Luxor
Country:
Egypt
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Upon landing at Luxor Airport, one of the main landing gear collapsed. The airplane slid for dozen meters before coming to rest. There were no casualties but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
Gear collapsed on landing for undetermined reason.

Crash of a De Havilland DH.106 Comet 4C in Addis Ababa

Date & Time: Jan 14, 1970 at 0418 LT
Type of aircraft:
De Havilland DH.106 Comet
Operator:
Registration:
SU-ANI
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Cairo - Khartoum - Addis Ababa
MSN:
6475
YOM:
1964
Flight number:
MS755
Location:
Addis Ababa-Bole
Addis Ababa City District
Country:
Ethiopia
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
9
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
5
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The approach to Addis Ababa-Haile Selassie I Airport was completed by night and marginal weather conditions. On final, at an altitude of 150 feet, the pilot-in-command made a visual contact with runway 32 but the aircraft was 250 feet to the right of the extended centerline. The captain decided to make a turn to the left when the aircraft banked left, lost height and struck the ground. Out of control, it crashed by the runway and came to rest. All 14 occupants were injured and the aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
Wrong approach configuration on part of the flying crew who continued the approach below minima weather conditions and passed the minimum descent altitude without any visual contact with the ground or runway. In such conditions, the captain should make a go-around procedure.

Crash of a Dornier DO.28B-1 in lagos

Date & Time: Jan 12, 1970
Type of aircraft:
Dornier DO.28A/B
Operator:
Registration:
NAF172
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
MSN:
3095
Location:
Lagos-Murtala Muhammed
Lagos
Country:
Nigeria
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Landed hard at Lagos-Ikeja Airport for unknown reasons. There were no casualties but the aircraft was irreparable.

Crash of a Lockheed L-749A Constellation on Mt Tibhirine: 8 killed

Date & Time: Nov 28, 1969
Type of aircraft:
Lockheed L-749 Constellation
Operator:
Biafran Government
Registration:
5N-85H
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Faro – São Tomé – Uli
MSN:
2662
YOM:
1951
Location:
Oukaïmeden
Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz
Country:
Morocco
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
5
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Circumstances:
The crew was performing a cargo flight from Faro to Uli with an intermediate stop in São Tomé with ammunition on board. While overflying Morocco by night, the crew encountered engine problems and informed ATC they want to divert to the nearest airport. The aircraft lost altitude then struck the slope of Mt Tibhirine located near the Mt Toubkal, south of Oukaïmeden, in the Atlas range. All SAR operations were suspended after few days as no trace of the aircraft nor the crew was found. In July 1970, the debris were located on the top of the mountain, at an altitude of 3,900 meters. All eight occupants were killed and the aircraft was totally destroyed by impact forces.
Probable cause:
According to the the Biafran government, three of the four engines were out of service at the time of the accident.

Crash of a Vickers VC-10-1101 in Lagos: 87 killed

Date & Time: Nov 20, 1969 at 0845 LT
Type of aircraft:
Vickers VC-10
Operator:
Registration:
5N-ABD
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
London - Rome - Kano - Lagos
MSN:
804
YOM:
1962
Flight number:
WT825
Location:
Lagos-Murtala Muhammed
Lagos
Country:
Nigeria
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
11
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
76
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
87
Aircraft flight hours:
18431
Circumstances:
Following an uneventful flight from Kano, the crew started the descent to Lagos-Ikeja Airport. The captain was cleared for a straight-in approach but encountered low visibility due to foggy conditions. On final, the crew failed to realize his altitude was insufficient when the airplane struck trees and crashed 13 km short of runway 19. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 87 occupants have been killed.
Probable cause:
The exact cause of the accident could not be determined with certainty. The FDR was found undamaged but the British AAIB engineers reported it was unreadable as the data consisted only of a stream of alternating ones and zeros. Apparently there had been a fault in one of the logic units of the system, something which could not be detected from the flight deck. No readable data could be reconstructed from this. Nevertheless, it is believed that the flying crew led the aircraft descending below the minimum safe altitude while still under control.
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