2002 Prestige Airlines Boeing 707 crash

2002 Prestige Airlines Boeing 707 crash
A 707 similar to the accident aircraft
Accident
Date 4 July 2002 (2002-07-04)
Summary Landing gear malfunction
Aircraft
Aircraft type Boeing 707-123B
Operator Prestige Airlines
Registration 9XR-IS
Flight origin N'Djamena Airport, N'Djamena, Chad
Destination Maya-Maya Airport, Brazzaville, CAR
Passengers 21
Crew 9
Fatalities 28
Injuries 2
Survivors 2

On 4 July 2002 a Boeing 707-123B operated by Prestige Airlines and owned by New Gomair, crashed during an emergency landing at Bangui Airport. 28 people on board were killed and two survived.[1] The flight was bound to Brazzaville, but the crew decided to divert to Bangui when the landing gear had not retracted.

Background

The international flight was carrying passengers and a load of onions and garlic from Chad to the Central African Republic. There were 17 Chadian passengers on board.[2] The Boeing belonged to a small airline New Gomair, owned by local businessmen, but was chartered by Prestige Airlines at the time of the accident.[2]

Crash

On final approach to Bangui, the aircraft descended until it contacted the ground. The crash occurred in clear weather at about 11:15 a.m. in the Guitangola neighborhood, two miles short of the Bangui Airport's runway.[3] The aircraft exploded upon touchdown, scattering wreckage and reportedly causing the roof of an empty house to collapse.[3]

The two survivors were engineer Laurent Tabako and a woman from Chad, both were admitted to a hospital.[2] According to Tabako, the engines stopped before landing and the crew may have dumped too much fuel before an emergency landing.[2] The witnesses reportedly did not hear the usual engine noise during the crash and saw no flames when the aircraft disintegrated.[2] The aircraft's flight recorder and voice recorder were recovered and an investigation was launched by the government of the Central African Republic.[2]

References

  1. ↑ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "'Pilot error may have caused CAR plane crash'". Independent Online. July 7, 2002. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Disabled Jet Crashes in Africa, Killing 23 as It Attempts to Land". The New York Times. 5 July 2002. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
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