Desert | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The aircraft was performing a flight from Yaoundé to Paris on behalf of the French Government, carrying Mr. André Soucadaux, High Commissioner of France in Cameroun, his wife and both children and his chief of cabinet. While cruising southeast of Ouagadougou, the crew encountered poor weather conditions and informed ground that he lost his orientation. Eventually, the captain attempted to make an emergency landing in a desert area located near Tenkodogo, about 140 km southeast of Ouagadougou. All 13 occupants were injured and later rescued while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Boeing B-50A-10-BO Superfortress near Hyder: 12 killed

Date & Time: Mar 23, 1950 at 0815 LT

Type of aircraft:

Boeing B-50 Superfortress

Operator:

Registration:

46-020

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Davis-Monthan - Davis-Monthan

MSN:

15740

YOM:

1947

Location:

Hyder

Arizona

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The heavy bomber departed Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson at 0615LT for a routine training mission that involved navigation, aerial refueling and camera gunnery training. After transferring 870 gallons of fuel to a KB-29 over Yuma, the crew pressurized the cabin and began to climb to 20,000 feet. While climbing through 17,000 feet, at about 0815LT, the master fire warning light suddenly illuminated on the pilot's instrument panel as the right scanner simultaneously reported a fire streaming from Number 3 engine. There were three successive minor explosions that rolled the bomber onto a 45 degree angle right bank. With the right wing engulfed in flames, the ship then fell into a steep right turn and began to disintegrate. As the bomber broke apart in the sky, only two men of the crew of fourteen were able to escape, the copilot Lt William Gentry and the bombardier, Captain John Lee. The wreckage was spread over a two-mile area of remote desert terrain.
Source: http://www.aircraftarchaeology.com/b50superfortress.html

Probable cause:

The investigation disclosed that Engine Number 3 had been replaced the prior day. It was determined that the cause of the fire was from the exhaust clamp that failed on Engine Number 3, and allowed hot exhaust gas to ignite fuel which had seeped past the fire seal into the engine section. The source of the fuel was likely from the loose-fitting main fuel line at the inlet side of the engine-driven fuel pump.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-75-DL near Laghouat: 1 killed

Date & Time: Aug 22, 1949

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Operator:

Société de Transports Aériens Alpes Provence - STAAP

Registration:

F-BEFK

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Algiers – Gao

MSN:

19471

YOM:

1944

Location:

Laghouat

Country:

Algeria

Region:

Africa

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

En route to Gao, an engine failed, forcing the captain to attempt an emergency landing. The aircraft crash landed near Laghouat and was written off. A crew member was killed.

Crash of a Douglas C-47B-10-DK in Marsa Matruh: 9 killed

Date & Time: Jul 16, 1949

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Operator:

Registration:

349050

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Desert

Schedule:

El Adem – Nicosia – Saigon

MSN:

14866/26311

YOM:

1944

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While flying along the Egyptian coast, en route to Saigon via Nicosia, the aircraft suffered an engine failure. The pilot decided to reduce his altitude in an attempt to make an emergency landing but the aircraft crashed near Marsa Matruh, killing all nine crew members registered to the Touraine Group.

Probable cause:

Engine failure.

Crash of a Douglas C-47-DL near Wadi Halfa

Date & Time: Oct 12, 1948

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Operator:

Registration:

ZS-BWZ

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Desert

Schedule:

Paris – Wadi Halfa – Khartoum – Johannesburg

MSN:

9145

YOM:

1943

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Shortly after takeoff from Wadi Halfa, a fire erupted in the cockpit. The crew was unable to extinguish the fire so the captain was forced to attempt an emergency landing in a desert area located few km from the airport. The aircraft written off while all 26 occupants escaped uninjured.

Probable cause:

The opinion was formed that the fire started in the left hand side of the pilot's compartment because of an electric short in the extension lamp, producing sufficient heat to ignite propeller deicing fluid, which, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, the Committee was of opinion must have leaked from the tank behind the Commander's seat. On available evidence, the crew made all possible efforts to extinguish the fire, but the effectiveness of their actions was nullified by the restricted area of operations and the inaccessibility of the seat of the fire. In view of the direct evidence of a blue flame at the time of the conflagration, there would appear to have been a high percentage of methyl spirits in the deicing fluid. This is confirmed by tests made of deicing fluid taken from other aircraft serviced by the same maintenance organisation which did not conform with specification An-F-13.

Crash of a Lisunov LI-2 near Balkhash: 15 killed

Date & Time: Sep 30, 1948 at 1250 LT

Type of aircraft:

Lisunov LI-2

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-L4304

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Desert

Schedule:

Alma Ata – Balkhash – Karaganda – Moscow

MSN:

184 239 02

YOM:

Flight number:

SU060

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

2474

Circumstances:

Few minutes after its takeoff from Balkhash Airport, while climbing, the aircraft flew into clouds when control was lost. The aircraft banked right and lost altitude. Shortly later, the right wing detached and out of control, the aircraft dove into the ground and crashed in an isolated area located about 39 km northwest of Balkhash. The wreckage was spotted 10 days later, on October 10, and all 15 occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the pilot in command suffered a spatial disorientation while climbing into clouds. Also, the right wing detached presumably because of aerodynamic forces that exceeded its design.

Crash of a De Havilland DH.89A Dragon Rapide in Syria

Date & Time: Jun 25, 1948

Type of aircraft:

De Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide

Operator:

Registration:

G-AGOP

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Haifa – Damascus

MSN:

6873

YOM:

1945

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

En route to Damascus, the pilot was forced to make an emergency landing in a desert area located in the southeast of Syria. Both occupants were unhurt while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of an Airspeed AS.65 Consul near El Alamein

Date & Time: May 24, 1948

Type of aircraft:

Airspeed AS.65 Consul

Operator:

Registration:

G-AIOU

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Desert

Schedule:

Croydon – Cairo

MSN:

4355

YOM:

1946

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Enroute, the pilot encountered an unexpected situation and was forced to make an emergency landing in a desert area located about 26 km south of El Alamein. All four occupants were rescued while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Crash of a Boeing B-29A-35-BN Superfortress near Nairyah: 9 killed

Date & Time: May 11, 1948

Type of aircraft:

Boeing B-29 Superfortress

Operator:

Registration:

44-61510

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Desert

MSN:

10987

Location:

Nairyah

ash-Sharqīyah (الشرقية‎)

Country:

Saudi Arabia

Region:

Asia

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Following an engine failure, went out of control and crashed in a desert area located near Nairyah. All nine crew members were killed.

Probable cause:

Engine failure.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.70 Halifax VIII near Basra

Date & Time: May 9, 1948

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.70 Halifax VIII

Operator:

Registration:

AP-ABZ

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Delivery

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Desert

MSN:

1374

YOM:

1945

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew started the descent to Shaibah Airbase near Basra when all four engines stopped simultaneously. The captain elected to make an emergency landing in a desert area located 66 km northwest of the airport. The aircraft came to rest and was damaged beyond repair while all three crew members were unhurt. The crew was in charge to deliver the aircraft in Karachi as it was just on the Pakistan register since 4 days.

Probable cause:

Failure of all four engines caused by a fuel exhaustion.

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