 A United Arab Airlines Antonov An-24 at Cairo, Flight 749's intended destination | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 18 March 1966 |
| Summary | Pilot error, poor weather |
| Site | Near Cairo International Airport, Cairo, Egypt |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Antonov An-24 |
| Operator | United Arab Airlines |
| Registration | SU-AOA |
| Flight origin | Nicosia Airport, Nicosia, Cyprus |
| Destination | Cairo International Airport, Cairo, Egypt |
| Occupants | 30 |
| Passengers | 25 |
| Crew | 5 |
| Fatalities | 30 |
| Survivors | 0 |
United Arab Airlines Flight 749 was a scheduled international passenger flight on 18 March 1966 that crashed while attempting to land in Cairo, Egypt. All thirty passengers and crew on board were killed.
Crash
Flight 749 took off from Nicosia Airport bound for Cairo International Airport. En route, the aircraft encountered bad weather, and conditions were poor in Cairo due to the presence of sandstorms. The crew of Flight 749 contacted Mirsair's Operations about diversion options. The flight crew also reported they were flying through thunderstorms with icing conditions, that two of the aircraft's altimeters were giving different readings, the magnetic compass being unserviceable, and that there was a crack in a cockpit window panel due to the thunderstorms. After diverting was discussed, Flight 749 continued to Cairo. The flight was cleared for a Runway 23 approach but crashed approximately 5 kilometres from it. Everyone on board Flight 749 perished in the accident.
After the crash, the sandstorm hampered rescue operations. Visibility was near zero and rescue vehicles became bogged down in the drifting sands.
Investigation
Accident investigators determined that "the accident arose from the descent of the aircraft below the safe flight altitude in the final approach and the impact of the port wing against the sand dunes lying to the northeast of the aerodrome. As a result the pilot lost control of his aircraft and hit the ground.
It is probable that the cause of descent of the aircraft below the safe level was due to the change from IFR to VFR, taking into consideration that considerable time would have been needed for the pilot to have adapted to this change in the prevailing weather conditions."
See also
- Stavropolskaya Aktsionernaya Avia Flight 1023, another aviation disaster involving an Antonov An-24 which took place exactly 31 years after Flight 749.
References
- Plane crashes in sandstorm; 30 fear perish
- Fear 30 flying to Cairo die in sandstorm
- Aircraft accident Antonov 24B SU-AOA Cairo
External links
| Aviation accidents and incidents in Egypt | |
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| Aviation accidents and incidents in 1966 (1966) | |
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| Jan 14 Avianca Flight 03Jan 17 Palomares incidentJan 24 Air India Flight 101Jan 28 Lufthansa Flight 005Feb 2 Pakistan International Airlines Flight 17Feb 4 All Nippon Airways Flight 60Feb 16 Aeroflot Flight 302Feb 17 Aeroflot Flight 65Feb 28 NASA T-38 crashMar 4 Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 402Mar 5 BOAC Flight 911Mar 18 United Arab Airlines Flight 749Apr 22 American Flyers Airline Flight 280/DApr 23 Aeroflot Flight 2723Apr 27 LANSA Flight 501Jun 3 Felthorpe Trident crashJun 29 Philippine Air Lines Flight 785Jul 4 Air New Zealand DC-8 crashJul 22 Holden's Lightning flightAug 6 Braniff Flight 250Sep 1 Britannia Airways Flight 105Sep 22 Ansett-ANA Flight 149Sep 28 Aerolíneas Argentinas Flight 648 hijackingOct 1 West Coast Airlines Flight 956Nov 13 All Nippon Airways Flight 533Nov 15 Pan Am Flight 708Nov 24 TABSO Flight 101Dec 24 Flying Tiger Line Canadair CL-44 crash | |
| 1965 ◄ ► 1967 |
Categories:
- Airliner accidents and incidents caused by pilot error
- Airliner accidents and incidents caused by weather
- Aviation accidents and incidents in 1966
- Aviation accidents and incidents in Egypt
- Accidents and incidents involving the Antonov An-24
- EgyptAir accidents and incidents
- 1966 in Egypt
- March 1966 events in Africa