.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 32°06′16″N 20°22′14″E / 32.10456°N 20.370432°E / 32.10456; 20.370432 |
| 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 |
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.
Aircraft
The aircraft was a Tu-154A registered LZ-BTN and had its first flight in 1974. 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.
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. 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. As the aircraft neared Benghazi, heavy fog blanketed the airport and the crew could not land the aircraft. 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 out of the 159 passengers.
See also
References
- ^ "Хроника падающих Ту-154" [• Gazeta.Ru: Chronicle of falling Tu-154]. www.gazeta.ru (in Russian). 10 July 2001. 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "FLIGHT SAFETY 1977 — a safe year for scheduled passengers". www.flightglobal.com. 21 January 1978. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
- "Туполев Ту-154А Бортовой №: LZ-BTN" [Tupolev Tu-154A Side No.: LZ-BTN]. russianplanes.net (in Russian). Archived from the original on 18 October 2011. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
| Aviation accidents and incidents in 1977 (1977) | |
|---|---|
| Jan 5 Connellan air disasterJan 13 Aeroflot Flight 3843Jan 13 Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 1045Jan 15 Linjeflyg Flight 618Feb 15 Aeroflot Flight 5003Mar 17 British Airtours Boeing 707 crashMar 27 Tenerife airport disasterApr 4 Southern Airways Flight 242Apr 12 Delta Air Lines Flight 1080May 7 Tavda mid-air collisionMay 10 Israeli CH-53 crashMay 14 Dan-Air Boeing 707 crashMay 27 Aeroflot Flight 331Jul 10 Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-134 hijackingJul 20 Aeroflot Flight B-2Aug 1 Encino helicopter crashSep 21 Malév Flight 203Sep 27 Japan Air Lines Flight 715Sep 27 Yokohama F-4 crashSep 28 Japan Air Lines Flight 472Oct 13 Lufthansa Flight 181Oct 20 Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crashNov 19 TAP Flight 425Dec 2 Libyan Arab Airlines Tu-154 crashDec 4 Malaysian Airline System Flight 653Dec 13 Air Indiana Flight 216Dec 17 United Airlines Flight 2860Dec 18 SA de Transport Aérien Flight 730Dec 19 Vieques Air Link crash | |
| 1976 ◄ ► 1978 |
| Aviation accidents and incidents in Libya | |
|---|---|
| Italian Libya (1911–1943) |
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| Kingdom of Libya (1951–1969) |
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| Gaddafi's Libya (1969–2011) |
|
| State of Libya (2012–) |
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