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Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771

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Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771
File:5A-ONG.jpg
Airbus A330-200 5A-ONG, the actual aircraft that crashed
Accident
Date12 May 2010
SiteOn approach to runway 09 at Tripoli International Airport
Aircraft
Aircraft typeAirbus A330-202
OperatorAfriqiyah Airways
Registration5A-ONG
Flight originOR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, South Africa
DestinationTripoli International Airport, Tripoli, Libya
Passengers93
Crew11
Fatalities103
Injuries1
Survivors1

Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771 was a scheduled international passenger flight which crashed on 12 May 2010 at about 06:10 local time (04:10 UTC) on approach to Tripoli International Airport.[1][2] The sole survivor was a Dutch child.[3][4][5]

Aircraft involved

The aircraft was an Airbus A330-202, registration 5A-ONG and manufacturer's serial number (MSN) 1024. It was delivered in September 2009 and at the time of the accident it had approximately 2,600 hours total time and about 420 cycles. The aircraft was powered by General Electric CF6-80E1 engines.[6][7] It was configured for a capacity of 253 passengers.[8][9] The aircraft carried 93 passengers and 11 crew, mostly Dutch and Libyan but also some British and South African nationals.[2][5] An airport official stated that 22 Libyans, both passengers and crew, had lost their lives in the crash.[10][11]

Accident flight

The route of Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771

The flight originated at OR Tambo International Airport, serving Johannesburg, South Africa. It was scheduled to land at its final destination Tripoli International Airport, Libya.[2] The aircraft crashed about 900 metres (980 yd) short of runway 09,[12] and came to rest within the perimeter of the airfield. It was reported that there was no post-crash fire. The crash was originally reported to have occurred just one metre from the airport runway.[13] The METAR in force at the time of the crash was HLLT 120350Z VRB01KT 6000 NSC 19/17 Q1008.[14][A] The main runway of the airport is 3,600 metres (11,800 ft) long. The airport does not have a precision approach system that directs the airplanes down to the runway but has two other simplified systems that are also used throughout the world.[15] Security officials stated that the plane exploded on landing before disintegrating but Libyan Transport Minister Mohammed Ali Zidan has ruled out terrorism as a cause.[16]

At the time, the accident was the second deadliest involving an Airbus A330, and the third deadliest accident to have happened in Libya.[8] It was also the first hull loss for Afriqiyah Airways.[12]

Investigation

The Libyan Civil Aviation Authority opened an investigation into the accident.[17] Airbus has stated that it will provide full technical assistance to the authorities investigating the crash.[18] The South African Civil Aviation Authority is sending a team to assist with the investigation.[19] The French BEA is also assisting in the investigation.[20]

Reactions

Afriqiyah Airways issued a statement saying that relatives of the victims who wish to visit Libya will be transported and accommodated at Afriqiyah's expense. The Libyan authorities would relax certain passport restrictions and will guarantee the granting of visas.[21]

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands expressed her shock at hearing the news.[20] The President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, also offered his condolences.[2]

Passengers and crew

Those aboard Flight 771 were of various nationalities.

Nationality Killed Survivors Total Source(s)
Passengers Crew
Belgium Belgian 1 1 [5]
United Kingdom British 1+ 1+ [11]
Netherlands Dutch 61 1 62 [5]
Philippines Filipino 1 1 [22]
Finland Finnish 1+ 1+ [2]
France French 1 1 [23]
Germany German 1+ 1+ [24]
Republic of Ireland Irish 1 1 [25]
Libya Libyan 13 11 24 [2][22]
South Africa South African 9 9 [26]
Zimbabwe Zimbabwean 1 1 [22]
Total 92 11 1 104

The Libyan Transport Minister Mohamed Zidan reported that the sole survivor was a 8-year-old boy travelling on a Dutch passport who was found naked between all the debris of the airplane.[27] [10][28] The child was taken to Sabia'a Hospital, 30 kilometres (19 mi) south-east of Tripoli and later transferred to Al-Khadhra Hospital, Tripoli,[17] to undergo surgery for multiple fractures in both legs. Dutch Foreign Ministry spokesman Ad Meijer said the child has no life-threatening injuries.[2]

Of the passengers, 42 were continuing to Düsseldorf, Germany, 32 were continuing to Brussels, Belgium, 7 were continuing to London, and 1 was continuing to Paris, France. 11 of the passengers had Libya as their final destination.[28] One of the victims was Frans Dreyer, brother of South African Member of Parliament Anchen Dreyer.[22][26] On the evening of 12 May 2010, the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that one of its passport holders was on the plane.[25]

See also

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Notes

  • A ^ Translation: METAR for Tripoli International Airport, issued at 03:50 UTC on the 12th of the month. Winds variable in direction at 1 knot (1.9 km/h), visibility 6,000 metres (3.7 miles), no significant cloud cover, temperature 19 °C, dewpoint 17 °C, altimeter setting 1008 hPa

References

  1. ^ "Afriqiyah Flight 771 crash". Afriqiyah Airways. 12 May 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Plane crash in Libya 'kills more than 100 on board'". BBC News. 12 May 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  3. ^ "Libya plane crash 'kills all 104 on board'". MSNBC. 12 May 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  4. ^ "Mogelijk Nederlanders aan boord crash Tripoli" (in Dutch). NOS. 12 May 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  5. ^ a b c d "61 Nederlanders dood bij crash Tripoli". De Telegraaf (in Dutch). Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  6. ^ "Afriqiyah Airways flight 8U771 accident in Tripoli, Libya (issue 2)". EADS. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  7. ^ Kaminski-Morrow, David. "Afriqiyah identifies crashed A330-200". Flight Global. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  8. ^ a b "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 12 May 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ "Jet With 104 Aboard Crashes in Libya". The New York Times. 12 May 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  10. ^ a b "Libya plane crash kills 103, Dutch child survives". Reuters. 12 May 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  11. ^ a b "Libya plane crash – 'at least one Briton on board'". BBC News. 12 May 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  12. ^ a b "Recent accidents / incidents worldwide". JACDEC. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  13. ^ "Scores dead in Libya plane crash". Al Jazeera. 12 May 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  14. ^ Hradecky, Simon. "Crash: Afriqiyah A332 at Tripoli on May 12th 2010". Aviation Herald. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  15. ^ "Libyan jet carrying 104 crashes on approach to Tripoli; Dutch boy is sole known survivor". Chicago Tribune. 12 May 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  16. ^ "Terrorism Ruled Out In Tripoli Plane Crash". Sky News. 12 May 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  17. ^ a b "Plane Crushes at Tripoli Airport, 104 Passengers on Board, 10-year Old Boy Survives". Tripoli Post. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  18. ^ "Airbus To Provide Technical Help In Libya Crash Investigation". Wall Street Journal. 12 May 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2010.(registration required)
  19. ^ "CAA team to travel to Libya to assist in crash investigation". Business Day. 12 May 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  20. ^ a b "61 Nederlanders dood bij vliegtuigcrash Libië" (in Dutch). NRC Handelsblad. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  21. ^ "Afriqiyah Flight 771 crash release 3 11:00 UTC". Afriqiyah Airways. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  22. ^ a b c d "Afriqiyah: 62 Nederlanders aan boord". De Telegraaf (in Dutch). {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help); Unknown parameter |uwl= ignored (help)
  23. ^ "Catastrophe aérienne en Libye". Le Figaro (in French). 12 May 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  24. ^ Absturz in Tripolis: Wohl auch Deutsche unter den Opfern
  25. ^ a b 103 dead in Libyan plane crash. RTÉ News and Current Affairs.
  26. ^ a b "Anchen Dreyer se broer op doodsvlug" (in Afrikaans). Beeld. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
  27. ^ An airport official stated the child was found naked on the crash site
  28. ^ a b "'Child' survives as 100 feared dead in Libya plane crash". CNN. 12 May 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)