Summary
On 20 March 1969, a United Arab Airlines Ilyushin Il-18 crashed while attempting to land at Aswan Airport. 100 of the 105 passengers and crew on board were killed in the crash.
 An Ilyushin Il-18 similar to the accident aircraft. | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 20 March 1969 |
| Summary | Pilot error in low visibility and poor weather |
| Site | Aswan International Airport 23°57′29″N 32°49′12″E / 23.958°N 32.820°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Ilyushin Il-18D |
| Operator | United Arab Airlines |
| Registration | SU-APC |
| Flight origin | King Abdullah Air Base |
| Destination | Aswan International Airport |
| Passengers | 98 |
| Crew | 7 |
| Fatalities | 100 |
| Injuries | 5 |
| Survivors | 5 |
The crash edit
The flight was a non-scheduled international passenger service from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Aswan, Egypt. The aircraft was carrying home Muslim worshippers who had won a pilgrimage through a lottery.[1] It was dark in the early morning when the flight attempted to land and blowing sand had reduced visibility to 2–3 kilometers. After two unsuccessful attempts to land, the aircraft was making a third try when it banked to the right and hit the left side of the runway. The starboard wing tore off and a fuel spillage followed which caused the crashed aircraft to burst into flames.[2]
Cause edit
The probable cause was determined to be that the "Pilot descended below the minimum safe altitude without having the runway lights clearly in sight. A contributory factor was fatigue arising from continuous working hours without suitable rest periods."[3][4]
References edit
- ^ "Mecca pilgrims die in plane crash". The Glasgow Herald. 20 March 1969. Retrieved 8 June 2021 – via Google News.
- ^ Gero, David (1996). Aviation Disasters Second Edition. Patrick Stephens Limited. p. 89.
- ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Ilyushin Il-18D SU-APC Aswan Airport (ASW)". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
- ^ "Accident Database: Accident Synopsis 03201969". Airdisaster.com. Archived from the original on 3 January 2009. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
External links edit
- 1969 Aswan Ilyushin Il-18 crash at AirDisaster.com[usurped] (Archive[usurped])
- "Fatal Accidents on Public Transport Operations 1969". Flight International: 84. 15 January 1970.