On 2 December 1977, a Tupolev Tu-154 passenger jet ran out of fuel and crashed near Benghazi, Libya. A total of 59 passengers were killed.[1][2]
.jpg) LZ-BTN, the aircraft involved, seen in May 1977, while operating for Balkan Bulgarian Airlines | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 2 December 1977 |
| Summary | Fuel exhaustion |
| Site | Near Benghazi, Libya 32°06′16″N 20°22′14″E / 32.10456°N 20.370432°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Tupolev Tu-154 |
| Operator | Libyan Arab Airlines leased from Balkan Bulgarian Airlines |
| Registration | LZ-BTN |
| Flight origin | King Abdulaziz International Airport, Saudi Arabia |
| Destination | Benina International Airport, Libya |
| Passengers | 159 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 59 |
| Survivors | 106 |
Aircraft
editThe aircraft was a Tu-154A registered LZ-BTN and had its first flight in 1974.[3] It was one of six Tu-154s to be leased by Libyan Arab Airlines from Balkan Bulgarian Airlines for that year's pilgrim flights to Mecca for the Hajj.[3]
Accident
editThe aircraft took off from King Abdulaziz International Airport in Saudi Arabia on a flight to Benina International Airport in the Libyan city of Benghazi with a crew of six and 159 passengers – pilgrims returning to Libya from the Hajj – on board.[3] Egyptian airspace was closed to Libyan aircraft at the time, necessitating an indirect route to Benghazi instead of the direct route across Egypt; the crew reportedly did not plan for the longer flight time, leaving the aircraft short of fuel.[4] As the aircraft neared Benghazi heavy fog blanketed the airport and the crew could not land the aircraft.[3] After failing to locate the alternate airport the aircraft ran out of fuel and crashed during the crew's subsequent attempt to make an emergency landing, killing 59 out of the 159 passengers.[3][5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "• Газета.Ru: Хроника падающих Ту-154" [• Gazeta.Ru: Chronicle of falling Tu-154]. www.gazeta.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 14 July 2001. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
- ^ "Crash of a Tupolev TU-154 in Al Bayda: 59 killed". www.baaa-acro.com. B3A Aircraft Accidents Archives. Archived from the original on 9 April 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Ranter, Harro. "Aviation Safety Network LZ-BTN accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Flight Safety Foundation. Archived from the original on 8 April 2005. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
- ^ Flight International 1978, p. 185 (online archive version) retrieved 24 July 2010
- ^ "FLIGHT SAFETY 1977 — a safe year for scheduled passengers". www.flightglobal.com. 21 January 1978. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2017.