1977 Libyan Arab Airlines Tu-154 crash
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 |
| 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 edit
The 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][4]
Accident edit
The 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.[5] 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 passengers.[3][6]
See also edit
References 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.
- ^ "✈ russianplanes.net ✈ наша авиация" [✈ russianplanes.net ✈ our aviation]. russianplanes.net (in Russian). Archived from the original on 18 October 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
- ^ 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.