Crash of a Boeing 707-123B in Bangui: 28 killed

Date & Time: Jul 4, 2002 at 1115 LT
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
9XR-IS
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
N'Djamena - Brazzaville
MSN:
19335
YOM:
1967
Region:
Crew on board:
9
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
21
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
28
Circumstances:
The aircraft departed N'Djamena Airport on a cargo flight to Brazzaville, carrying 21 passengers, nine crew members and a load of onions and garlic. Few minutes after takeoff, the crew reported technical problems with the undercarriage and was cleared to divert to Bangui Airport. The crew completed a holding circuit over Bangui to consume fuel then later started the descent to the airport. On final approach to runway 35, all four engines stopped simultaneously due to fuel exhaustion. The aircraft stalled and crashed in a residential area located 4 km short of runway. A crew member and one passenger were injured while 28 other people were killed. There were no casualties on the ground.
Probable cause:
The crew reported that the undercarriage could not be raised. Loss of control on final approach after all four engines stopped due to a fuel exhaustion.

Crash of a Fokker F27 Friendship 600 in Khartoum

Date & Time: Jun 11, 2002 at 1830 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
ST-SSD
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Khartoum - Khartoum
MSN:
10563
YOM:
1977
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Aircraft flight hours:
19822
Aircraft flight cycles:
19349
Circumstances:
The crew was completing a local training flight at Khartoum-Haj Yusuf Airport. Following several touch-and-goes completed successfully on runway 18, the crew landed the airplane and elected to takeoff when the captain encountered difficulties to raise the flaps from 40° to 16,5°. In such conditions, he decided to reject the takeoff procedure and initiated an emergency braking manoeuvre. The aircraft skidded on runway, overran and lost its right main gear before coming to rest against the ILS antenna for runway 36. Both pilots escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of an Avro 748 in George: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jun 1, 2002 at 0715 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
ZS-OJU
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Bloemfontein - George
MSN:
1782
YOM:
1980
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Captain / Total flying hours:
20963
Captain / Total hours on type:
1819.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
1099
Copilot / Total hours on type:
518
Aircraft flight hours:
14226
Aircraft flight cycles:
19789
Circumstances:
The aircraft was on a scheduled freight flight from Bloemfontein to George. Poor weather conditions prevailed over the George area and the pilots had to execute an instrument guided approach for the landing. The ground based Instrument Landing System (ILS) on Runway 29 at George Aerodrome was intermittently unreliable during the approach. The pilots decided to execute a missed approach. During the missed approach the pilots did not comply with the published missed approach procedure and with a combination of strong winds and possible erroneous heading indications they lost situational awareness. They flew the aircraft into a valley and crashed into the side of the mountains North-East of the George Aerodrome. The passenger was Hansie Cronje, a former South African cricket captain who had missed a South African Airlines flight.
Probable cause:
The crew deviated from the prescribed missed approach procedure during an attempted Instrument Landing System landing on Runway 29 at George in Instrument Meteorological Conditions and lost situational awareness aggravated by the presence of strong upper SouthWesterly winds. They allowed the aircraft to drift off course resulting in a controlled impact with terrain 6.7 nm North-East of the aerodrome. Contributing factors to the probable cause were the weather conditions, the intermittent unreliability of the Instrument Landing System, the serviceability of the directional gyro and the uncleared defects.
Final Report:

Crash of a Let L-410UVP near Calabar: 5 killed

Date & Time: May 21, 2002 at 1942 LT
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
9Q-CGX
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Abuja – Port Harcourt – Calabar
MSN:
85 14 02
YOM:
1985
Flight number:
SXC401
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Aircraft flight hours:
8086
Circumstances:
On the day of the accident, the aircraft departed Abuja with the call Sign SXC401 en route Port Harcourt conveying 2 passengers on revenue basis. Before the commencement of the flight, the Chief Engineer was reported to have replaced the "Carbon brush" of the starboard starter generator. The source of this pair of carbon brushes is questionable. This flight was uneventful as the passengers disembarked and the aircraft picked up fuel for Port Harcourt. The aircraft departed Port Harcourt at 1750 hrs UTC with five souls on board (all crewmembers), estimating Calabar at 1827 hrs UTC. At 1800 hrs UTC, the aircraft was in contact with Calabar Tower at 5,000 feet, reporting 5 Souls-On-Board and an endurance of 3 hrs 30 minutes. The crew also requested for the hourly weather report and the control tower passed the 1700 hours weather report as "surface wind 140°/ 09 knots, visibility 10km, slight thunderstorm, cloud base scattered 300 metres, few CB N-SE 690 m broken at 9,000 m, QNH 1008 and temperature 27°C". The aircraft was also instructed to maintain the 5,000 feet level and to expect no delay for the VOR approach to runway 03. At 1809 hrs UTC, the aircraft was at 35 nautical miles to the station when the pilot requested for descent clearance and the controller gave him a clearance to 2,500 feet and to position for a straight-in approach to runway 03 and the crew acknowledged. At 1824 hrs UTC, the pilot reported having electrical problem and therefore declared emergency. Thereafter, the pilot requested for increase in the intensity of the approach lights, the controller informed him that the approach lights were, already, at their maximum intensity. The controller procedurally then requested for the aircraft's altitude but the response of the pilot was "we are coming to Calabar" and at 1830 hrs the aircraft reported 16 nautical miles to Calabar. The control tower at 1833 hrs UTC, wanted to establish the position of the aircraft by requesting repeatedly "Your position? Your position?" to which the response was "standby, standby". The verbal query continued until 1842 hrs and when there was no response from the aircraft, the controller alerted the airport fire services to be on the standby for further instructions. When the controller could no longer establish contact with the aircraft, he then contacted the relevant agencies for search and rescue operations. Meanwhile, the aircraft on descent impacted trees and crashed in a marshy area located 22 km from the airport. The aircraft was destroyed and all five occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
The probable cause of the accident was the premature departure of the aeroplane from the normal Minimum Safe Altitude of 2,500 feet without ATC clearance until it flew into the terrain. The contributory factor was the emergence of electrical problem on the aircraft on the commencement of its approach. The problem might have distracted the attention of the pilots from having undistorted focus on the instruments. Another contributory factor was the unfavourable weather conditions of low cloud base and thunderstorm, which impaired the visibility at the critical time of the descent.
Final Report:

Crash of a Boeing 737-566 in Tunis: 14 killed

Date & Time: May 7, 2002 at 1518 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
SU-GBI
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Cairo - Tunis
MSN:
25307
YOM:
1991
Flight number:
MS843
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
55
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
14
Captain / Total flying hours:
4509
Captain / Total hours on type:
1549.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
880
Copilot / Total hours on type:
639
Aircraft flight hours:
26082
Aircraft flight cycles:
15686
Circumstances:
The aircraft departed Cairo-Intl Airport at 1140LT on a regular schedule flight to Tunis-Carthage Airport with 56 passengers and six crew members on board. It entered the Tunis FIR at 1450LT, under control of the Tunis Regional CCR. After being transferred to the approach control at 1500LT, the crew was cleared for a VOR/DME approach to runway 11. On approach at 3,000 feet, the crew was informed he was number one for landing. The crew informed ATC that he departed 3,000 feet for 2,100 feet at 12 NM and wa later cleared to land. Wind was from 130 at 30 knots. At 1516LT, on final, the crew was transferred from the approach control to the tower and received a second clearance to land. In limited visibility, the aircraft struck a fence located on the top of a mountain and crashed in hilly terrain 6,6 km from the runway 11 threshold. Three crew members and 11 passengers were killed while 48 other people were injured. On board were 33 Egyptians including the six crew members, 16 Tunisians, three Algerians, three Jordans, two Chinese, two British, one Libyan, one Saudi and one Palestinian.
Probable cause:
The accident was due to the crew's failure to perform and control the final approach. This was materialized by the failure to respect the approach fix associated with the decision to start the final approach prematurely.
The following contributing factors were identified:
- The poor weather conditions that prevailed at the time of the accident, particularly the limited visibility,
- The shortcomings noted in the training of both pilots, particularly those relating to conventional VOR/DME approaches,
- The relative weakness of the flight experience of both crew members on the type of aircraft operated.
Final Report:

Crash of a BAc 111-525FT in Kano: 149 killed

Date & Time: May 4, 2002 at 1335 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
5N-ESF
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
Jos - Kano - Lagos
MSN:
266
YOM:
1980
Flight number:
EXW4226
Location:
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
71
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
85
Circumstances:
The aircraft was completing a regular schedule flight from Jos to Lagos with an intermediate stop in Kano. Weather conditions were good but the OAT at the time of the accident was +42° C. Due to construction works (retreatment of the asphalt surface), the longest runway 24/06 was closed to traffic so the crew was departing from runway 23 at Kano-Mallam Aminu Kano Airport which is 2,600 metres long. Due to high temperature and reduced performances, the aircraft used the entire runway length, overran and rolled on a grassy area for few dozen metres before lifting off. During initial climb, the aircraft encountered difficulties to gain sufficient height and to follow a positive rate of climb when it collided with obstacles and crashed in the district of Gwammaja located about 2 km past the end of runway 23. The aircraft was totally destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire as well a several buildings, among them a school and a mosque. Among the 77 people on board the aircraft, six survived (five passengers and one stewardess). All 71 other occupants were killed as well as 78 people on the ground. More than 70 other people on the ground were injured, some seriously. It was later reported that the aircraft was out of service for 52 days due to engine problems. Nevertheless, both engines were changed few days prior to the accident and accumulated 10 hours of flight since.

Crash of an Antonov AN-12 in Heglig

Date & Time: Apr 30, 2002
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
ST-AQP
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Khartoum - Heglig
MSN:
4 3 423 05
YOM:
1964
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
On final approach to Heglig Airport, at a height of about 60 feet, the aircraft collided with a flock of birds coming from the right side. The engine n°4 failed, the aircraft rolled to the right, lost height and struck the ground short of runway threshold. Upon impact, the undercarriage were torn off and the aircraft crash landed. All four crew members escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
Loss of control on final approach after the failure of the engine n°4 following a bird strike.

Crash of a Boeing 707-366C in Kinshasa

Date & Time: Apr 26, 2002
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
9Q-CKB
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Johannesburg - Kinshasa
MSN:
19844
YOM:
1968
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
After landing on runway 24 at Kinshasa-N'Djili Airport in poor weather conditions, the aircraft went out of control, veered off runway to the right, lost its right main gear and came to rest few dozen metres further. All three crew members escaped with minor injuries while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. Weather was poor at the time of the accident with heavy rain falls and crosswinds.

Crash of a Let L-410UVP-E9 in Ngerende

Date & Time: Apr 17, 2002
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
5Y-UAS
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Ngerende – Nairobi
MSN:
84 13 24
YOM:
1984
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
17
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
During the takeoff roll from a dirt strip (3,900 feet long) at Ngerende, an impala crossed the runway. To avoid a collision, the crew pulled up the control column and started the rotation. Because the airspeed was insufficient, the pilot-in-command put the nose down to gain speed when the aircraft struck the ground and crash landed in a field. All 17 occupants were rescued, among them a passenger was slightly injured. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of an Avro 748-372-2B in Sun City

Date & Time: Apr 16, 2002 at 1334 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
ZS-OLE
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Skukuza - Sun City
MSN:
1796
YOM:
1982
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
42
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
3846
Captain / Total hours on type:
755.00
Circumstances:
During the flight from Skukuza to Pilanesberg the aircraft developed a hydraulic problem, resulting in a complete hydraulic failure. However, a safe landing was carried out at Pilanesberg on Runway 23. Shortly after the landing the pilot shut down both engines, but maintained the runway heading for approximately 2000m, before the aircraft veered off to the left of the runway where it entered a ditch, 75m from the runway edge, where it finally stopped. There were no injuries, but the aircraft sustained extensive damage and substantial damage was caused to the perimeter fence around the airport. Both the pilot and the co-pilot were correctly licenced and type rated on the aircraft. Apart from the CVR, which was inoperative at the time of the accident and a leaking L/H hydraulic pump, it would appear that the aircraft was correctly maintained. Fine weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot informed Pilanesberg ATC of a complete hydraulic failure, but did not declare an emergency. The pilot failed to switch off the Nose Wheel Steering after touchdown and also shut down both hydraulic cut-off switches. The Emergency Checklist does not provide for a complete hydraulic failure.
Probable cause:
The accident resulted from a complete hydraulic failure, probably as a result of a leak on the L/H engine pump, which was not dealt with properly. Contributing to this was an incomplete emergency checklist.
Final Report: