Boeing down in Cotonou (merged)
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Boeing down in Cotonou
Initial press reports regarding a Boeing on a Cotonou (Benin) to Beirut flight has crashed on takeoff. Reports that it hit building and somehow ended up in the Atlantic.
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At least 60 killed in Benin plane crash: witnesses
COTONOU : More than 60 people were killed on Thursday when an aircraft bound for Beirut crashed into the sea off the west African state of Benin, witnesses said.
Witnesses said they had seen the bodies lined up on the beach near the plane, which crashed into the sea near the runway after take off from Cotonou, capital of Benin.
One of the crewmembers on board, who survived the disaster, told local journalists that the plane was heading to Beirut and that most of the passengers were Lebanese.
The plane belonged to a Lebanese charter airline called UTA, according to airport sources in Beirut.
Other unconfirmed reports in Beirut said there were 140 passengers on board.
The tiny African state of Benin lies west of Nigeria on the Atlantic Ocean. - AFP
_______________________________________
Plane Crashes Into Atlantic Off West Africa's Benin
Thursday, December 25, 2003 10:53 a.m. ET
COTONOU, Benin (Reuters) - A Boeing passenger plane bound for Beirut crashed into the Atlantic Ocean after takeoff in the West African country of Benin on Thursday, killing dozens of passengers, witnesses and airport officials said.
Witnesses said they saw at least 30 bodies strewn on the beach near the airport in the main city Cotonou, where the plane crashed just after takeoff in the Gulf of Guinea.
It was not immediately clear which airline was involved but witnesses said most of the bodies recovered appeared to be Lebanese. There is a large Lebanese community in West Africa.
Airport officials said the plane had problems retracting its landing gear after takeoff, smashed into a building at the end of the runway, exploded and then crashed into the sea.
Airport officials said the flight originated in Conakry, capital of the West African nation Guinea, and was traveling to Beirut via Dubai.
Sixty-three passengers boarded in Cotonou but the total number of passengers was not immediately clear.
Rescue workers were searching the sea after the crash, which took place around 1415 GMT.
In December 1995 about 60 people were killed when a Cameroon airliner on a flight from Cotonou crashed into a swamp in Cameroon.
COTONOU : More than 60 people were killed on Thursday when an aircraft bound for Beirut crashed into the sea off the west African state of Benin, witnesses said.
Witnesses said they had seen the bodies lined up on the beach near the plane, which crashed into the sea near the runway after take off from Cotonou, capital of Benin.
One of the crewmembers on board, who survived the disaster, told local journalists that the plane was heading to Beirut and that most of the passengers were Lebanese.
The plane belonged to a Lebanese charter airline called UTA, according to airport sources in Beirut.
Other unconfirmed reports in Beirut said there were 140 passengers on board.
The tiny African state of Benin lies west of Nigeria on the Atlantic Ocean. - AFP
_______________________________________
Plane Crashes Into Atlantic Off West Africa's Benin
Thursday, December 25, 2003 10:53 a.m. ET
COTONOU, Benin (Reuters) - A Boeing passenger plane bound for Beirut crashed into the Atlantic Ocean after takeoff in the West African country of Benin on Thursday, killing dozens of passengers, witnesses and airport officials said.
Witnesses said they saw at least 30 bodies strewn on the beach near the airport in the main city Cotonou, where the plane crashed just after takeoff in the Gulf of Guinea.
It was not immediately clear which airline was involved but witnesses said most of the bodies recovered appeared to be Lebanese. There is a large Lebanese community in West Africa.
Airport officials said the plane had problems retracting its landing gear after takeoff, smashed into a building at the end of the runway, exploded and then crashed into the sea.
Airport officials said the flight originated in Conakry, capital of the West African nation Guinea, and was traveling to Beirut via Dubai.
Sixty-three passengers boarded in Cotonou but the total number of passengers was not immediately clear.
Rescue workers were searching the sea after the crash, which took place around 1415 GMT.
In December 1995 about 60 people were killed when a Cameroon airliner on a flight from Cotonou crashed into a swamp in Cameroon.
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90 feared killed in Benin plane crash
19:30 - 25 December 2003
At least 90 people, mostly Lebanese, were feared killed when a passenger plane bound for Beirut crashed into the sea shortly after takeoff from the West African nation of Benin.
As many as 200 passengers and crew were on United Transit Airlines Flight 141 from Cotonou, Benin's commercial capital, when the plane went down at 2.55pm (1355 GMT), airport security official Jerome Dandjinou said.
Lebanese television quoted Ghabi Koudieh, a Lebanese expatriate in Cotonou and a witness at the crash site, as saying the death toll rose to 90 as more bodies were pulled out of the sea. Among the dead, he said, between 80 and 85 were Lebanese.
Lebanese TV also quoted other witnesses in Cotonou as saying there were about 35 Lebanese survivors.
Dozens of bodies floated among the plane's wreckage about 150 yards off a Cotonou beach and local residents scrambled into the water to search for survivors and recover the dead.
Benin President Mattieu Kerekou also visited the crash site.
Pieces of the plane were lying in the surf: a shorn-off landing gear, the cockpit and the rear part of the fuselage, along with an engine. Tangled wires and metal hung from the ripped-open fuselage.
Airport officials in Beirut said the Boeing 727 had been chartered by two Lebanese men, and most of the passengers were believed to be returning home for the Christmas holidays.
Thousands of Lebanese immigrants live and work in West African countries.
A witness at the crash site said the plane had trouble taking off and hit a building at the end of the runway.
19:30 - 25 December 2003
At least 90 people, mostly Lebanese, were feared killed when a passenger plane bound for Beirut crashed into the sea shortly after takeoff from the West African nation of Benin.
As many as 200 passengers and crew were on United Transit Airlines Flight 141 from Cotonou, Benin's commercial capital, when the plane went down at 2.55pm (1355 GMT), airport security official Jerome Dandjinou said.
Lebanese television quoted Ghabi Koudieh, a Lebanese expatriate in Cotonou and a witness at the crash site, as saying the death toll rose to 90 as more bodies were pulled out of the sea. Among the dead, he said, between 80 and 85 were Lebanese.
Lebanese TV also quoted other witnesses in Cotonou as saying there were about 35 Lebanese survivors.
Dozens of bodies floated among the plane's wreckage about 150 yards off a Cotonou beach and local residents scrambled into the water to search for survivors and recover the dead.
Benin President Mattieu Kerekou also visited the crash site.
Pieces of the plane were lying in the surf: a shorn-off landing gear, the cockpit and the rear part of the fuselage, along with an engine. Tangled wires and metal hung from the ripped-open fuselage.
Airport officials in Beirut said the Boeing 727 had been chartered by two Lebanese men, and most of the passengers were believed to be returning home for the Christmas holidays.
Thousands of Lebanese immigrants live and work in West African countries.
A witness at the crash site said the plane had trouble taking off and hit a building at the end of the runway.
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CNN reportes following:
COTONOU, Benin (Reuters) -- An airliner crashed into the sea moments after takeoff in Benin on Thursday, killing at least 90 people on board and forcing rescuers to plunge into the waves to save others or salvage their bodies.
Benin's Health Minister Celine Segnon said at least 90 had been killed, four of them having died in hospital after being rescued, and 18 had survived. Onlookers screamed in horror as corpses washed up on a beach in Cotonou, Benin's main city.
The Boeing 727's smashed cockpit, twisted metal and battered suitcases littered the shallow waters at the sea's edge.
Relatives and others dived into the waves to try to overturn a chunk of the fuselage, but were thwarted by a wing rammed into the seabed. Some relatives who plunged into the water said they did not want their loved ones' bodies disfigured by fish.
Rescue workers toiled into the night under powerful lights.
Airport officials in Cotonou said the plane had had problems retracting its landing gear after takeoff. It smashed into a building at the end of the runway, exploded and then crashed into the sea at around 1415 GMT (9:15 EST).
Fishermen, navy divers, the army and Red Cross workers searched the shores of the Gulf of Guinea for survivors and the President of Benin Mathieu Kerekou visited the scene.
The plane had been heading for Beirut, carrying members of Lebanese communities in West Africa. In Beirut, people waited anxiously at the international airport for word of survivors on UTA Flight 141.
"I learned that my son has broken bones. But what matters is he is alive," said Ali Bashir, his eyes red from crying.
The aircraft belonged to Lebanese-owned Union Transport Africaines, officials in Cotonou said. Most of those on board were Lebanese but some passengers were from Benin, Guinea and Sierra Leone.
Relatives grieve and hope
West Africa has had Lebanese communities for more than a century and they form the backbone of some smaller economies.
"My brother and my uncle are on this plane. We have called people we know in Cotonou and they said they got on the plane. Now we don't know what happened to them," said a weeping man at Beirut airport.
"We hope they are still alive. We don't know their fate."
Some relatives watched news of the crash on television sets in the airport. Others glanced at other Lebanese, some clutching welcome bouquets and waiting for happy reunions with relatives arriving on other flights.
"It is a disaster for Lebanon as most of the passengers are Lebanese," Lebanon's Transport Minister Najib Mikati said. He added that most of the survivors were Lebanese and a Libyan co-pilot had also survived.
Middle East Airlines, Lebanon's national carrier, said it had been asked by the government to send a plane to Cotonou with a medical team on board.
Africa's poorly maintained airliners are prone to disaster. Thursday's crash is the third this year in Africa in which planes have plunged to the ground shortly after takeoff.
------------------------
More from the other press :
A jetliner clipped a building during takeoff and crashed into the sea off the West African nation of Benin on Thursday, killing dozens of Lebanese workers on their way home for the holidays.
A witness said 90 passengers were dead, while a doctor said 57 had been taken to a hospital morgue and more bodies were being retrieved from the water.
The chartered Boeing 727 bound for Beirut had just lifted off from the seaside airport in Cotonou, Benin's commercial capital, said Jerome Dandjinou, a senior airport security official.
"The back of the plane hit a building at the end of the runway. There was a fire and an explosion was heard," Dandjinou told The Associated Press. "The plane exploded and the debris fell into the water."
Airport officials in Beirut said the plane was chartered from United Transit Airlines; but officials in Guinea, where the plan began its trip, identified the company as Union des Transports Africain. Air France said the company was unrelated to the former French airline UTA, which was absorbed by Air France a decade ago.
It was unclear how many people were on the plane. Benin's transport minister, Ahmed Akobi, said there were 156 passengers and an unknown number of crew, while an official with UTA said 253 people were on board.
Dozens of bodies - men, women, children and babies - floated among the plane's wreckage about 150 yards off a Cotonou beach. Fishermen and residents waded into the water to search for survivors and recover the dead.
Television images showed pieces of the plane lying in the surf: a shorn-off landing gear, part of a wing, the cockpit and the rear part of the fuselage, along with an engine.
Tangled wires and metal hung from the ripped-open fuselage. One man sat in the sand, blood running down his bare chest. Another injured man held his head.
One of the Lebanese survivors, Nabil Hashem, told Al Manar television in Beirut that he was in the back of the plane and was able to swim to safety.
"Those in the front were the most hurt," Hashem said. "May God's mercy fall on them. It was a horrible scene."
Ghabi Koudieh, a Lebanese expatriate in Cotonou, told Al Manar that 90 bodies were pulled out from the sea. At least 80 were Lebanese, he said. Other witnesses said there were about 35 Lebanese survivors.
Martin Chobli, a doctor with the emergency medical service, SAMU, said at least 22 people had survived and at least 57 had been taken to a hospital morgue.
"We are receiving reports that more bodies are coming out the water," Chobli said.
He said the army, the paramilitary police and the Red Cross all had rescue teams at the scene.
A solemn Benin President Mattieu Kerekou also visited the crash site.
Airport officials in Beirut said the plane had been chartered by two Lebanese men. Most of the passengers were believed to be returning home for the Christmas holidays.
Thousands of Lebanese immigrants live and work in West African countries.
In Beirut, Lebanese Transportation Minister Najib Mikati said the plane initially took off from the Guinean capital, Conakry, and stopped in Freetown, Sierra Leone, picking up Lebanese along the way.
Guinean officials said Sierra Leone and Guinean nationals were also aboard the plane, but it was not known how many.
Mohammed Khazen, a brother of one of the businessmen who chartered the plane, was weeping when reached by phone in Beirut.
"Six people from my family - including nephews - are on the flight and I have no information about them," he said.
Three families gathered at the arrival lounge at Beirut airport. Some wept; others prayed to God to spare their loved ones.
Zeina Shemaytelli clutched her 3-year-old daughter and wept as others tried to calm her down.
Lebanon's national carrier, Middle East Airlines, was to fly a medical team to Benin, LBC television said.
COTONOU, Benin (Reuters) -- An airliner crashed into the sea moments after takeoff in Benin on Thursday, killing at least 90 people on board and forcing rescuers to plunge into the waves to save others or salvage their bodies.
Benin's Health Minister Celine Segnon said at least 90 had been killed, four of them having died in hospital after being rescued, and 18 had survived. Onlookers screamed in horror as corpses washed up on a beach in Cotonou, Benin's main city.
The Boeing 727's smashed cockpit, twisted metal and battered suitcases littered the shallow waters at the sea's edge.
Relatives and others dived into the waves to try to overturn a chunk of the fuselage, but were thwarted by a wing rammed into the seabed. Some relatives who plunged into the water said they did not want their loved ones' bodies disfigured by fish.
Rescue workers toiled into the night under powerful lights.
Airport officials in Cotonou said the plane had had problems retracting its landing gear after takeoff. It smashed into a building at the end of the runway, exploded and then crashed into the sea at around 1415 GMT (9:15 EST).
Fishermen, navy divers, the army and Red Cross workers searched the shores of the Gulf of Guinea for survivors and the President of Benin Mathieu Kerekou visited the scene.
The plane had been heading for Beirut, carrying members of Lebanese communities in West Africa. In Beirut, people waited anxiously at the international airport for word of survivors on UTA Flight 141.
"I learned that my son has broken bones. But what matters is he is alive," said Ali Bashir, his eyes red from crying.
The aircraft belonged to Lebanese-owned Union Transport Africaines, officials in Cotonou said. Most of those on board were Lebanese but some passengers were from Benin, Guinea and Sierra Leone.
Relatives grieve and hope
West Africa has had Lebanese communities for more than a century and they form the backbone of some smaller economies.
"My brother and my uncle are on this plane. We have called people we know in Cotonou and they said they got on the plane. Now we don't know what happened to them," said a weeping man at Beirut airport.
"We hope they are still alive. We don't know their fate."
Some relatives watched news of the crash on television sets in the airport. Others glanced at other Lebanese, some clutching welcome bouquets and waiting for happy reunions with relatives arriving on other flights.
"It is a disaster for Lebanon as most of the passengers are Lebanese," Lebanon's Transport Minister Najib Mikati said. He added that most of the survivors were Lebanese and a Libyan co-pilot had also survived.
Middle East Airlines, Lebanon's national carrier, said it had been asked by the government to send a plane to Cotonou with a medical team on board.
Africa's poorly maintained airliners are prone to disaster. Thursday's crash is the third this year in Africa in which planes have plunged to the ground shortly after takeoff.
------------------------
More from the other press :
A jetliner clipped a building during takeoff and crashed into the sea off the West African nation of Benin on Thursday, killing dozens of Lebanese workers on their way home for the holidays.
A witness said 90 passengers were dead, while a doctor said 57 had been taken to a hospital morgue and more bodies were being retrieved from the water.
The chartered Boeing 727 bound for Beirut had just lifted off from the seaside airport in Cotonou, Benin's commercial capital, said Jerome Dandjinou, a senior airport security official.
"The back of the plane hit a building at the end of the runway. There was a fire and an explosion was heard," Dandjinou told The Associated Press. "The plane exploded and the debris fell into the water."
Airport officials in Beirut said the plane was chartered from United Transit Airlines; but officials in Guinea, where the plan began its trip, identified the company as Union des Transports Africain. Air France said the company was unrelated to the former French airline UTA, which was absorbed by Air France a decade ago.
It was unclear how many people were on the plane. Benin's transport minister, Ahmed Akobi, said there were 156 passengers and an unknown number of crew, while an official with UTA said 253 people were on board.
Dozens of bodies - men, women, children and babies - floated among the plane's wreckage about 150 yards off a Cotonou beach. Fishermen and residents waded into the water to search for survivors and recover the dead.
Television images showed pieces of the plane lying in the surf: a shorn-off landing gear, part of a wing, the cockpit and the rear part of the fuselage, along with an engine.
Tangled wires and metal hung from the ripped-open fuselage. One man sat in the sand, blood running down his bare chest. Another injured man held his head.
One of the Lebanese survivors, Nabil Hashem, told Al Manar television in Beirut that he was in the back of the plane and was able to swim to safety.
"Those in the front were the most hurt," Hashem said. "May God's mercy fall on them. It was a horrible scene."
Ghabi Koudieh, a Lebanese expatriate in Cotonou, told Al Manar that 90 bodies were pulled out from the sea. At least 80 were Lebanese, he said. Other witnesses said there were about 35 Lebanese survivors.
Martin Chobli, a doctor with the emergency medical service, SAMU, said at least 22 people had survived and at least 57 had been taken to a hospital morgue.
"We are receiving reports that more bodies are coming out the water," Chobli said.
He said the army, the paramilitary police and the Red Cross all had rescue teams at the scene.
A solemn Benin President Mattieu Kerekou also visited the crash site.
Airport officials in Beirut said the plane had been chartered by two Lebanese men. Most of the passengers were believed to be returning home for the Christmas holidays.
Thousands of Lebanese immigrants live and work in West African countries.
In Beirut, Lebanese Transportation Minister Najib Mikati said the plane initially took off from the Guinean capital, Conakry, and stopped in Freetown, Sierra Leone, picking up Lebanese along the way.
Guinean officials said Sierra Leone and Guinean nationals were also aboard the plane, but it was not known how many.
Mohammed Khazen, a brother of one of the businessmen who chartered the plane, was weeping when reached by phone in Beirut.
"Six people from my family - including nephews - are on the flight and I have no information about them," he said.
Three families gathered at the arrival lounge at Beirut airport. Some wept; others prayed to God to spare their loved ones.
Zeina Shemaytelli clutched her 3-year-old daughter and wept as others tried to calm her down.
Lebanon's national carrier, Middle East Airlines, was to fly a medical team to Benin, LBC television said.
ZbV
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Overloading
Yip. Remember being over 12 tons over after one departure from Cotonou/DBBB. Load sheet means nothing to these guys. If there's space left they will put stuff in. They will never tell the crew either about the overloading as they might not get to put the load in then.
What surprises me is that this had not happend before.
It would be interesting to know who actually chartered the aircraft and who took care of the handling.
JJ
What surprises me is that this had not happend before.
It would be interesting to know who actually chartered the aircraft and who took care of the handling.
JJ
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Reports of gear retraction problems could indicate loss of hydraulic pressure, which could have led to control difficulties. However, I wouldn't trust any earlyl reports until the experts get there.
Over/misloading wouldn't surprise me at all, neither would incorrect flap/slat setting or engine failure.
I'm also guessing that such charter ops usually have the flight crew over-seeing loading.
Over/misloading wouldn't surprise me at all, neither would incorrect flap/slat setting or engine failure.
I'm also guessing that such charter ops usually have the flight crew over-seeing loading.
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" It was unclear how many people were on the plane. Benin's transport minister, Ahmed Akobi, said there were 156 passengers and an unknown number of crew, while an official with UTA said 253 people were on board. "
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156 seats and 253 tickets sold would not surprise me, I wonder how many ended up on board, but like all previous African accidents we will probably never know....
" It was unclear how many people were on the plane. Benin's transport minister, Ahmed Akobi, said there were 156 passengers and an unknown number of crew, while an official with UTA said 253 people were on board. "
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
156 seats and 253 tickets sold would not surprise me, I wonder how many ended up on board, but like all previous African accidents we will probably never know....
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Taken from another group, I am led to believe that the aircraft in question is the B727 (3X-GDM) that went missing in Africa a few months back and is ex American Airlines, so a lot of question I`m sure will be asked of the operator
Golf India Bravo
Golf India Bravo
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from a libanese site : the flight was a multi legs one , 141 seats on board, and the FO , a lybian, is said to have survived, so we might know a bit more...
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Planned Root, Tony Em, et al - were you there? Didnt think so! Neither was I. Thats why I hate all this speculation, particularly so soon after an incident when all the facts have yet to be established.
I'm getting fed up with all the 'experts' on here who seem to feel they have the answer to every incident 5 minutes after it happenned. Call yourselves 'Professionals' - then act like it please and lets get the facts out before we start jumping to conclusions!
ps - i have no connection with this incident at all, just a terrible thing to happen at this time of year especially, sympathies to all.
I'm getting fed up with all the 'experts' on here who seem to feel they have the answer to every incident 5 minutes after it happenned. Call yourselves 'Professionals' - then act like it please and lets get the facts out before we start jumping to conclusions!
ps - i have no connection with this incident at all, just a terrible thing to happen at this time of year especially, sympathies to all.
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Smallpilot, please excuse me. It is just my way of dealing with things that cause so much pain and saddness which this accident has done. Sometimes, the desire to understand how and why is too much. You are of course right.
Tony-Em
Thanks for reminding me that hydraulics could also have been a reason for the gear down initial reports.
Nothing wrong, IMO, about considering what is factual in the reports and what factors might correlate.
Of course conclusions like "sounds like" have no support at such an early stage
Thanks for reminding me that hydraulics could also have been a reason for the gear down initial reports.
Nothing wrong, IMO, about considering what is factual in the reports and what factors might correlate.
Of course conclusions like "sounds like" have no support at such an early stage
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Smallpilot, read (take) that:
www.aviation-safety.net
Date: 25 DEC 2003
Time: 14:55
Type: Boeing 727-223
Operator: Union des Transports Africains de Guinée
Registration: 3X-GDM ??
Msn / C/n: 21089/1273?
Year built:
Engines: 3 Pratt & Whitney JT8D-9A
Crew: fatalities / 7 on board
Passengers: fatalities / 156 on board
Total: 111 fatalities / 163 on board
Airplane damage: Written off
Location: off Cotonou Airport (COO) (Benin)
Phase: Initial Climb
Nature: International Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport: Cotonou Airport (COO)
Destination airport: Beirut Airport (BEY)
Flightnumber: 141
Remarks:
Union des Transports Africains de Guinée operates two flights a week from Conakry, Guinea to Beirut and Dubai with their newly acquired ex-American Airlines Boeing 727. On December 25, UTA Flight 141 departed Conakry, Guinea for a scheduled flight to Beirut, Lebanon with a planned intermediate stop at Cotonou. At Cotonou nine of the 92 passengers deplaned and 73 passengers boarded the flight. It was a warm afternoon at a temperature of 32 deg. C with a light breeze as the 727 taxied to runway 24. Runway 06/24 is an asphalt runway, measuring 2400 (7874 feet) meters with a 61m (199 feet) overrun zone. According to FAA runway length requirement calculations, a fully laden Boeing 727-200 with JT8D-9 engines and a 25-degrees flap setting would, given the weather and airfield elevation, need a runway length of approx. 8000 feet.
Apparently the 727 barely climbed after takeoff, causing the main undercarriage to strike the roof of a 2-3 meters high small building housing radio equipment. The operator inside the building suffered injuries. The plane continued, smashed through the airport boundary fence, crashed and broke up on the shoreline.
Weather at the time of the accident (13:55Z) was: DBBB 251400Z 17006KT 130V210 8000 FEW015 BKN250 32/27 Q1009 NOSIG=
There are people in this forum that knows Africa and the way aircraft are operated. Look at Hewa Bora and their old 727 and Tristars: taking off fully load out of Goma (which by the way only has less than 2000 meters available due to Lava) or Mbuji-Mai with 2000 meters, altitude and tropical temperature. So when that happen, we are not surprised and can speculate freely.
www.aviation-safety.net
Date: 25 DEC 2003
Time: 14:55
Type: Boeing 727-223
Operator: Union des Transports Africains de Guinée
Registration: 3X-GDM ??
Msn / C/n: 21089/1273?
Year built:
Engines: 3 Pratt & Whitney JT8D-9A
Crew: fatalities / 7 on board
Passengers: fatalities / 156 on board
Total: 111 fatalities / 163 on board
Airplane damage: Written off
Location: off Cotonou Airport (COO) (Benin)
Phase: Initial Climb
Nature: International Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport: Cotonou Airport (COO)
Destination airport: Beirut Airport (BEY)
Flightnumber: 141
Remarks:
Union des Transports Africains de Guinée operates two flights a week from Conakry, Guinea to Beirut and Dubai with their newly acquired ex-American Airlines Boeing 727. On December 25, UTA Flight 141 departed Conakry, Guinea for a scheduled flight to Beirut, Lebanon with a planned intermediate stop at Cotonou. At Cotonou nine of the 92 passengers deplaned and 73 passengers boarded the flight. It was a warm afternoon at a temperature of 32 deg. C with a light breeze as the 727 taxied to runway 24. Runway 06/24 is an asphalt runway, measuring 2400 (7874 feet) meters with a 61m (199 feet) overrun zone. According to FAA runway length requirement calculations, a fully laden Boeing 727-200 with JT8D-9 engines and a 25-degrees flap setting would, given the weather and airfield elevation, need a runway length of approx. 8000 feet.
Apparently the 727 barely climbed after takeoff, causing the main undercarriage to strike the roof of a 2-3 meters high small building housing radio equipment. The operator inside the building suffered injuries. The plane continued, smashed through the airport boundary fence, crashed and broke up on the shoreline.
Weather at the time of the accident (13:55Z) was: DBBB 251400Z 17006KT 130V210 8000 FEW015 BKN250 32/27 Q1009 NOSIG=
There are people in this forum that knows Africa and the way aircraft are operated. Look at Hewa Bora and their old 727 and Tristars: taking off fully load out of Goma (which by the way only has less than 2000 meters available due to Lava) or Mbuji-Mai with 2000 meters, altitude and tropical temperature. So when that happen, we are not surprised and can speculate freely.
