Nicosia

Greek troops were deployed in Cyprus following the Turkish invasion. While on a night approach to Nicosia Airport under callsign 'Niki 4', the airplane was mistakenly shot down by Greek soldiers based by the airport and crashed in flames 3 km short of runway. A passenger was injured while 31 other occupants were killed.

Involved in the invasion of the Cyprus Island, the twin engine airplane was shot down by Greek fire while approaching Nicosia. The airplane crashed and was destroyed. Apparently, all occupants were killed but the exact number remains unknown.

After touchdown on runway 14 at Nicosia Airport, the airplane deviated to the right then veered off runway and came to rest in flames about 150 metes from the runway end. All 70 occupants escaped, nine of them were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.

While approaching Nicosia Airport by night on a flight from Cairo, the crew failed to realize his altitude was insufficient when, at an altitude of 2,600 feet, the four engine airplane struck the slope of Mt Kyrenia located 16 km from runway 14 threshold. The wreckage was found 117 meters below the summit and all 37 occupants have been killed.

The aircraft was on a non-scheduled flight from Bangkok to Base1 with scheduled stops at Colombo, Bombay and Cairo. The aircraft departed Bombay for Cairo on 19 April at 1312 hours GMT, with 11 hours and 10 minutes of fuel endurance and an estimated flight time for Cairo of 9 hours. According to the flight plan time, it was due to arrive in Cairo at 2212 hours. The alternate airport for the above sector was given as Beirut. At 2215 hours the aircraft was heard calling Nicosia but, due to distance and height, two-way communication with Nicosia on VHF could not be established until 2234 hours. In the meantime a message was received from Beirut advising Nicosia that the aircraft had entered the Nicosia FIR and had reported over position Red 18A at 2229 hours. From the Area Control radiotelephony tape recording, it is evident that the actual weather conditions at Nicosia at 2145 hours and 2245 h~.:rs were passed to the aircraft at 2238 hours and 2254 hours respectively. Details of the latter actual weather were passed again to the aircraft at 2300 hours by Approach Control. The aircraft came over the field at 2306 hours and was cleared for a right- hand circuit. At 2310 hours, when over the threshold of runway 32, the aircraft was slightly high and the captain decided to overshoot. He informed the tower and was cleared for a left-hand circuit. He further informed the tower that he would carry out a low circuit. The aircraft was momentarily seen by the controller during its final approach and the glare of its landing lights was visible through the low cloud when it made a pass over the runway in use and disappeared from view over the upwind end of the runway in the low cloud to the north-west. On his second attempt to land and while executing a low circuit, the aircraft collided with the ground at 0113LT, 3,5 km short of runway threshold. A crew member and three passengers were seriously injured while 126 other occupants were killed. The aircraft was totally destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire.

The crew was conducting a local training sortie at Nicosia Airport. Enroute, the instructor voluntarily shot down one engine to simulate a failure and the approach was continued. Shortly later, the pilot-in-command lost control of the airplane that stalled and belly landed few hundred yards short of runway. All three crew members were unhurt while the airplane was damaged beyond repair.

While taxiing for takeoff, the nose wheel steering system failed. The pilot informed ATC and continued to taxi using other braking systems and attempted a double bend when the brakes failed. The aircraft veered off the taxiway and collided with parked fuel tanks. There were no casualties while the aircraft was written off.