Africa | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The aircraft disappeared en route from Maiduguri to Geneina, Sudan. No trace of the aircraft nor the crew was found. It is believed the aircraft may have crash in the Chad desert or in the northwest of Nigeria.

Crash of De Havilland DH.60G Moth in Maputo

Date & Time: Jul 16, 1944

Type of aircraft:

De Havilland DH.60 Moth

Operator:

Registration:

CR-AAI

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Maputo - Maputo

MSN:

1854

YOM:

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Crew was engaged in a training flight in the vicinity of the Maputo International Airport. In flight, crew lost control of the aircraft that crashed on a beach in Costa do Sol, west of the airport. Both pilots Lino Augusto da Conceição and Manuel Duarte were injured.

Crash of a Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina off Safi: 5 killed

Date & Time: Jul 12, 1944

Type of aircraft:

Consolidated PBY Catalina

Operator:

Registration:

48361

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

MSN:

1723

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While on a maritime patrol flight off the Moroccan coast, the captain was forced to attempt an emergency landing due to fuel exhaustion. In poor weather conditions, the seaplane crash landed on the sea off Safi. Five crew members were killed while four others were rescued.

Probable cause:

Fuel exhaustion.

Crash of a Curtiss C-46A-40-CU Commando in Cairo

Date & Time: Jun 30, 1944 at 1200 LT

Type of aircraft:

Curtiss C-46 Commando

Operator:

Registration:

42-61080

Flight Type:

Military

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

MSN:

26955

YOM:

1944

Location:

Cairo

Country:

Egypt

Region:

Africa

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Crashed in unknown circumstances.

Crash of a Boeing B-29-15-BW Superfortress off Greenville

Date & Time: Jun 17, 1944

Type of aircraft:

Boeing B-29 Superfortress

Operator:

Registration:

42-6383

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Ferry

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

MSN:

3517

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was performing a ferry flight from the US to India when flying off the Liberian coast, the pilot was forced to ditch the aircraft due to a fuel exhaustion. The four engine aircraft came to rest off Greenville coast and was lost. All crew members were rescued.

Probable cause:

Fuel exhaustion.

Crash of a Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina near the Cap de Trois Fourches: 9 killed

Date & Time: Jun 15, 1944 at 1200 LT

Type of aircraft:

Consolidated PBY Catalina

Operator:

Registration:

JX258

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Location:

Cap de Trois Fourches

Oriental

Country:

Morocco

Region:

Africa

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While on a maritime patrol flight along the Moroccan coast, the seaplane hit a mountain slope located near the Cap de Trois Fourches, north of the Spanish enclave of Melilla. All nine crew members were killed.
Crew (202nd Squadron):
Sgt Ronald Vivian Allen,
F/L Douglas Boyle,
F/O Robert William Clark-Hall,
F/O Harry Roy Keen,
F/S Charles Ernest Lang,
F/S William James McDonald,
F/S Edward George McNeal,
Sgt Robert William Pole,
Sgt Samuel Lester Squire.

Crash of a De Havilland DH.85 Leopard Moth in Chiloani

Date & Time: Jun 3, 1944 at 1200 LT

Type of aircraft:

De Havilland DH.85 Leopard Moth

Operator:

Registration:

VP-YCH

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Site:

Plain, Valley

MSN:

7019

YOM:

1934

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Crashed in unknown circumstances. Occupant fate unknown as well.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-30-DL in Oujda: 16 killed

Date & Time: Jun 3, 1944

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Operator:

Registration:

FD886

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Biskra – Oujda

MSN:

9538

YOM:

1943

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The aircraft left Biskra at 0643LT on a routine transport flight to Oujda. Five minutes before its own signaled ETA, the pilot took advantage of a hole in the cloud over which he had been flying for some considerable time, to get below the cloud. Upon breaking cloud, the aircraft was seen to circle in a valley. Unaccountably, the aircraft was seen to turn to port and climb into cloud away from a road and valley, which was clear, with visibility 4 to 5 miles below cloud. The mountaintop was covered by drifting cloud at the time and the aircraft was climbing steeply when it crashed. It crashed into the side of a mountain, killing 16 on board. One passenger survived.
Source:
http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19440603-2

Probable cause:

An Inquiry into the accident found that "the accident was a gross error of judgement by the pilot in flying blind unnecessarily when uncertain of his position, and for the navigator’s poor navigation who did not use all means at his disposal."