1977 Libyan Arab Airlines Tu-154 crash
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 2 December 1977 |
| Summary | Fuel starvation |
| Site | near Benghazi, Libya |
| 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 |
The 1977 Benghazi Libyan Arab Airlines Tu-154 crash occurred after a Tupolev Tu-154 ran out of fuel near Benghazi on 2 December 1977. A total of 59 passengers were killed in the crash.
Aircraft
The aircraft was a Tu-154A registered LZ-BTN and had its first flight in 1974.[1] 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.[1]
Accident
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.[1] 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.[2] As the aircraft neared Benghazi heavy fog blanketed the airport and the crew could not land the aircraft.[1] 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.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e Aviation Safety Network LZ-BTN accident description retrieved 2010-07-23
- ^ Flight International 1978, p. 185 (online archive version) retrieved 2010-07-24
- "Flight Safety 1977", Flight International 21 January 1978, pp. 182-187