Desert | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

En route from Damascus to Baghdad, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with a sandstorm. The pilot lost his orientation when the airplane impacted ground and crashed near Tell-Farida, in the region of Ruţbah Wells, some 300 km west of Baghdad. The aircraft came to rest upside down and was destroyed. All three occupants were killed. The crew and passenger were performing a special flight on behalf of The League of Nations (Société des Nations). The passenger was the Swiss Colonel de Reynier who was in charge to fix the border between Syria and Iraq.
Crew:
Julien Risser, pilot,
Mr. Huber, mechanic.
Passenger:
Colonel de Reynier.

Probable cause:

Controlled flight into terrain while flying in a sandstorm.

Crash of a Farman F.303 in Syria

Date & Time: Mar 18, 1932

Type of aircraft:

Farman F.303

Operator:

Registration:

F-AJIG

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Desert

Schedule:

Baghdad – Damascus

MSN:

7155.1

YOM:

1930

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

En route from Baghdad to Damascus, the pilot encountered an unexpected situation and was forced to attempt an emergency landing in the Syrian Desert. While all occupants were unhurt and quickly rescued, the aircraft was probably damaged beyond repair and abandoned on site.

Crash of a Farman F.190 near Bidon 5

Date & Time: Dec 28, 1931

Type of aircraft:

Farman F.190

Operator:

Registration:

F-AJDD

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Reggane - Gao

MSN:

7133

YOM:

1929

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The aircraft was on its way from Reggane, Algeria, to Gao, Mali, with a targui interpret and one pilot (Pierre Obrecht) on board. Few minutes after the stopover in Bidon 5, the pilot encountered control problems and attempted an emergency landing. The aircraft crash landed some 8 km south of Bidon 5 and was damaged beyond repair. Both occupants were rescued three days later, on December 31.

Probable cause:

According to company officials, the aileron control cables, expanded by heat during the stopover in Bidon 5, came out of the pulleys and were blocked afterwards. In such circumstances, the control of the aircraft was impossible.

Crash of a Farman F.192 near El Quit

Date & Time: Apr 22, 1930 at 1215 LT

Type of aircraft:

Farman F.190

Operator:

Marcel Goulette

Registration:

F-AJJB

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Antananarivo – Elisabethville – Luluabourg – Brazzaville – Bangui – Fort Archambault – Kano – Niamey – Gao – Algiers – Paris

MSN:

7159

YOM:

1929

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

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Circumstances:

The crew was returning to France after completing the first flight from France to Madagascar and the Reunion Island in December 1929. The aircraft departed Gao at 1015LT bound for the north. It overflew Tabankort then the crew planned to make a fuel stop at El Quit where a quantity of 220 liters of fuel was hidden in the sand. Some 30 km before the destination, the engine failed. The crew attempted an emergency landing when, on touchdown, the left main gear collapsed and ripped the fuselage on the left side, shearing off the left wing as well. All three crew were unhurt but the aircraft was abandoned on site. All three occupants were rescued and evacuated six days later, on 28APR1930, by members of the Compagnie Générale Transafricaine, and arrived in France on 05MAY1930. The airplane was eventually recovered 80 years later and repatriated to Paris where it was repaired and displayed at the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace at Paris-Le Bourget Airport.
Crew:
Marcel Goulette, pilot,
René Marchesseau, pilot,
Jean-Michel Bourgeois, mechanic.

Probable cause:

Engine failure for unknown reasons.

Crash of a Breguet 14A.2 near Villa Cisneros: 1 killed

Date & Time: May 2, 1929

Type of aircraft:

Breguet 14

Operator:

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Postal (mail)

Survivors:

Site:

Desert

Schedule:

Dakar – Casablanca

Location:

Villa Cisneros

Oued Ed-Dahab-Lagouira

Country:

Western Sahara

Region:

Africa

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Crashed in unknown circumstances some 100 km north of Villa Cisneros. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

Crash of a De Havilland DH.4B in the Great Salt Lake Desert

Date & Time: Aug 2, 1924

Type of aircraft:

De Havilland DH.4

Operator:

Registration:

313

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Elko - Salt Lake City

Location:

Great Salt Lake Desert

Utah

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

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Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

En route from Elko to Salt Lake City, the radiator exploded, causing the engine to catch fire. The pilot attempted an emergency landing when the aircraft crashed in the Great Salt Lake Desert. The pilot was rescued and the aircraft was destroyed.

Probable cause:

Radiator failure and engine fire in flight.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.12 near Abu Hamad: 4 killed

Date & Time: Apr 1, 1920

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.12

Operator:

Registration:

F302

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Desert

Schedule:

Khartoum - Cairo

Location:

Abu Hamad

River Nile (ولاية نهر النيل)

Country:

Sudan

Region:

Africa

Crew on board:

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Circumstances:

The twin engine aircraft departed Khartoum on a flight to Cairo. En route, the airplane suffered a structural failure and crashed near Abu Hamad, about 450 km north of Khartoum, bursting into flames. All four occupants were killed.
Crew:
F/O John Barclay Jaques,
F/O Desmond Wilkie Sibley,
Sgt Edmund West Wadey,
AC2 Reginald Colin Meldrum.

Probable cause:

In-flight structural failure.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.12 near Shereik

Date & Time: Feb 25, 1920

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.12

Operator:

Registration:

G-EAMC

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Aswan - Khartoum

MSN:

HP.27

YOM:

1919

Location:

Shereik

River Nile (ولاية نهر النيل)

Country:

Sudan

Region:

Africa

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was completing one of the first trans-Africa flight from UK to South Africa. En route from Aswan to Khartoum, while cruising at an altitude of 7,800 feet, the airplane suffered oscillations and vibrations. The crew shut down both engines and elected to make an emergency landing when the aircraft crashed in a desert area located 10 km north of Shereik. All four crew evacuated safely and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

Control problems following technical issues with the rudder.