Central African Airways Flight 890, a Vickers Viscount 745D, crashed during a scheduled
passenger flight
An airline is a company that provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for codeshare agreements, in which ...
from
Wadi Halfa,
Sudan, to
Benghazi,
Libya
Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...
, about nine kilometers southeast of
Benina International Airport
Benina International Airport ( ar, مطار بنينة الدولي) serves Benghazi, Libya. It is located in the borough of Benina, 19 kilometres (12 mi) east of Benghazi, from which it takes its name. The airport is operated by the Civil ...
in Libya.
A total of forty-seven passengers and seven crew members were on board of whom only eighteen survived, making it the deadliest ever plane crash in Libya at the time of the accident. It still remains the deadliest accident for
Central African Airways.
Cause of the crash
According to an
International Civil Aviation Organization
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international a ...
accident digest, the plane crashed while making a nighttime approach to runway 33R, and while flying in clouds the pilot descended below a safe altitude, causing the aircraft to crash into high ground. While the reason for the quick descent remains unknown, it is believed the pilot may have misinterpreted the reading of his altimeter as a result of fatigue and possible indisposition.
[Accident description]
via Aviation Safety Network
The Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) is an independent, nonprofit, international organization concerning research, education, advocacy, and communications in the field of aviation safety. FSF brings together aviation professionals from all sectors ...
(Original source "ICAO Accident Digest, Circular 59-AN/54 (171–178)). Retrieved 17 August 2015
See also
*
Aviation safety
Aviation safety is the study and practice of managing risks in aviation. This includes preventing aviation accidents and incidents through research, educating air travel personnel, passengers and the general public, as well as the design of airc ...
*
List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft
This list of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft includes notable events that have a corresponding Wikipedia article. Entries in this list involve passenger or cargo aircraft that are operating commercially and meet this list ...
References
External links
Accident description Aviation Safety Network
{{DEFAULTSORT:Central African Airways plane crash
Aviation accidents and incidents in 1958
Accidents and incidents involving the Vickers Viscount
Aviation accidents and incidents in Libya
Airliner accidents and incidents involving controlled flight into terrain
Central African Airways accidents and incidents
1958 in Libya
August 1958 events in Africa