1958 Central African Airways plane crash

1958 Central African Airways plane crash
A Vickers Viscount type plane
Accident
Date 9 August 1958
Summary Pilot error
Site near Benina International Airport
Aircraft
Aircraft type Vickers Viscount 745D
Aircraft name Mpika
Operator Central African Airways
Registration VP-YNE
Flight origin Salisbury Airport
1st stopover Ndola Airport
2nd stopover Entebbe International Airport
3rd stopover Khartoum International Airport
4th stopover Wadi Halfa Airport
Last stopover Benina International Airport
Destination Heathrow Airport
Passengers 47
Crew 7
Fatalities 36
Injuries Unknown
Survivors 18

The 1958 Central African Airways plane crash occurred when a Vickers Viscount airliner crashed during a scheduled passenger flight from Wadi Halfa, Sudan, to Benghazi, Libya, on 9 August 1958 about nine kilometers southeast of Benina International Airport in Libya.[1] A total of forty-seven passengers and seven crew members were on board of whom only eighteen survived, making it the deadliest ever plane crash in Libya at the time of the accident.[2]

Cause of the crash

According to an International Civil Aviation Organization accident digest, the plane crashed while making an approach to runway 33R, and while flying in clouds the pilot descended below a safe altitude, causing the aircraft to crash into high ground. While the reason for the quick descent remains unknown, it is believed the pilot may have misinterpreted the reading of his altimeter as a result of fatigue and possible indisposition.[2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "34 believed lost in airplane crash" (scan). The Gettysburg Times. Vol. 56 (№ 189). AP. 9 August 1958. p. 3. Retrieved 17 August 2015 – via news.google.com.
  2. 1 2 Accident description via Aviation Safety Network (Original source "ICAO Accident Digest, Circular 59-AN/54 (171-178)). Retrieved 17 August 2015

Coordinates: 32°05′49″N 20°16′10″E / 32.09694°N 20.26944°E / 32.09694; 20.26944

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.