Air Algérie Flight 5017
![]() The accident aircraft at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport, Spain, in January 2013 | |
Accident | |
---|---|
Date | 24 July 2014 |
Summary | Crashed; under investigation |
Website | Southeast of Gossi, Mali |
Aircraft | |
Aircraft type | McDonnell Douglas MD-83 |
Operator | Swiftair for Air Algérie |
Registration | EC-LTV |
Flight origin | Ouagadougou Airport, Burkina Faso |
Destination | Houari Boumediene Airport, Algiers, Algeria |
Passengers | 112 |
Crew | 6 |
Fatalities | 118 (all) |
Air Algérie Flight 5017 (AH5017/DAH5017) was a scheduled international passenger flight from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, to Algiers, Algeria, which crashed in Mali, near the town of Gossi,[1][2] on 24 July 2014. The McDonnell Douglas MD-83 with 112 passengers and 6 crew on board, operated by Swiftair for Air Algérie, disappeared from radar about 50 minutes after take-off.[3] The next day, French President François Hollande stated there were no survivors.[4] The cause of the crash is unknown; Malian authorities will be conducting an investigation with the assistance of France's Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety.
Aircraft
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/LV-BHN_McDonnell_Douglas_MD-83_Austral_%287313058986%29.jpg/230px-LV-BHN_McDonnell_Douglas_MD-83_Austral_%287313058986%29.jpg)
The aircraft involved was a McDonnell Douglas MD-83, registration EC-LTV, MSN 53190, line number 2148. The aircraft had first flown in June 1996 as SU-ZCA, entering service with Heliopolis Airlines on 23 August. It was re-registered N190AN for AWAS. On 13 February 1998, it was registered HK-4173X with Avianca, returning to the registration N190AN on 17 August 2000.[5]
The aircraft was sold to Indonesian Lion Air in 5 January 2003 as PK-LMM and 4 years later was registered as LV-BHN for Austral Líneas Aéreas on 19 January 2007. In the period from 2007 to 2009, the aircraft was used to transport the Real Madrid football team to their away games.[6] It was again returned to AWAS as N190AN on 30 March 2012 before being registered to Swiftair as EC-LTV on 24 October 2012.[5] Under Swiftair, the aircraft had operated under wet lease with CCM Airlines, Jetairfly, Royal Air Maroc, Iberia, Lufthansa, Vueling, TAP Portugal and many other airlines before being wet-leased by Air Algérie to provide additional capacity for the summer season.[5][7][8] At the time of its loss, EC-LTV had acquired in excess of 32,000 cycles.[a] The aircraft's engines were Pratt & Whitney JT8Ds.[8]
The director of the Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGAC) of France, Patrick Gandil, said the plane had been checked in France "two or three days ago" and that it was "in good condition".[9]
Crash
The flight departed from Ouagadougou Airport at 1:07 a.m. local time (UTC) on 24 July 2014. It was scheduled to land at Houari Boumediene Airport, Algiers at 5:10 a.m.[8] Air Algérie lost contact with the flight at 1:55 a.m., almost fifty minutes after it took off from Ouagadougou bound for Algiers.[10]
On 28 July, it was revealed that the flight crew had asked to return to Burkina Faso, after first having requested to deviate from course because of bad weather.[11] There was a mesoscale convective system in the area at the time.[12]
Suche
French transport minister Frédéric Cuvillier said that the plane disappeared over northern Mali.[13] As of 09:56 (UTC) on 24 July, Air Algérie had commenced a search for the aircraft.[14] The French foreign minister Laurent Fabius said at 15:00 (UTC) on the 24 July that the aircraft had not yet been located and that search tasks in northern Mali were conducted by two military aircraft Mirage 2000, two helicopters and a C-130.[15]
On the evening of Thursday 24 to Friday 25, the French president said that the French forces announced the discovery of the wreckage was identified despite its disintegrated state,[16] near the town of Tilemsi, in the regions of Gao and Kidal.[17] He added that "a French military detachment was sent to the scene to ensure the safety of the area and collect the initial information."[16] It was also reported that the wreckage was found in an inaccessible area hampering rescue efforts.[18] In addition, residents of nearby areas said they heard loud explosions and alerted the military forces deployed in northern Mali.[19]
Late on 24 July, General Gilbert Diendiere of the Burkina Faso Army said that the wreckage of the plane had been found in the Gossi region of Mali, 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of the border with Burkina Faso.[20] French authorities confirmed this the following day.[1] Officials from Algeria, Burkina Faso, and France had initially issued conflicting details, with wreckage reported at various locations in Mali.[21][22]
Investigation
The Malian authorities have opened an investigation; the French Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile (BEA) will provide technical assistance. On 27 July, BEA investigators arrived at the crash site to collect evidence.[2] Both black boxes have been recovered; data from the flight data recorder has been read out, but the cockpit voice recorder was damaged and will require work.[23][24]
Passengers and crew
Land | Persons |
---|---|
![]() |
6 |
![]() |
1 |
![]() |
28 |
![]() |
1 |
![]() |
5 |
![]() |
1 |
![]() |
52 |
![]() |
4 |
![]() |
6 |
![]() |
2 |
![]() |
1 |
![]() |
1 |
![]() |
6[b] |
![]() |
1 |
![]() |
1 |
Total | 116 |
There were 112 passengers on the plane; of those, 54 were French citizens. Others came from Burkina Faso, Lebanon, Algeria, Spain, Canada, Germany and Luxembourg.[3] An Air Algérie representative in Burkina Faso, Kara Terki, told a news conference that all passengers were in transit to Europe, the Middle East, or Canada.[26] All six crew members were Spanish.[27][28]
Legal action
Prosecutors in Paris opened a preliminary "involuntary homicide" investigation.[29]
See also
- List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft
- List of aircraft accidents and incidents resulting in at least 50 fatalities
Notes
References
- ^ a b Willsher, Kim; Mai-Duc, Christine (25 July 2014). "Investigators headed to Air Algerie crash site; 118 reported dead". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b Hradecky, Simon (25 July 2014). "Crash: Swiftair MD83 over Mali on Jul 24th 2014, aircraft lost altitude". The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
- ^ a b "France says Air Algerie pilots had asked to turn back before fatal crash". Herald Globe. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
{{cite news}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ "Air Algerie AH5017: 'No survivors' from crash in Mali". BBC News. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
- ^ a b c "EC-LTV preliminary". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
- ^ "Una 'Saeta' se estrella en el desierto del Sahara". Marca. Spain. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
- ^ "Air Algérie leasing a Swiftair MD-83 for summer". ch-aviation. 2 July 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
- ^ a b c Kaminski-Morrow, David. "Swiftair MD-83 operating missing Air Algerie service". London: Flightglobal. Archived from the original on 24 July 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Air Algerie flight 'crashes' in Mali". Herald. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- ^ Bjork, Christopher; Wall, Robert; Meichtry, Stacy (24 July 2014). "Air Algerie Flight Reported Missing With 116 on Board". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
- ^ "Air Algerie AH5017: Pilots 'asked to turn back'". BBC News. 28 July 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
- ^ "Avion perdu en Afrique: gros orages sur le Burkina Faso" (in French). La Chaîne Météo. 24 July 2014. Archived from the original on 24 July 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Algeria confirms AH5017 crash". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 24 July 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
{{cite news}}
:|archive-date=
/|archive-url=
timestamp mismatch; 23 July 2014 suggested (help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Air Algerie Flight AH5017: Algeria 'Loses Contact With Plane'
- ^ "French president says no survivors in Algerian plane crash". EFE. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- ^ a b "?Plane was on fire as it fell?". MNews. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- ^ "Air Algerie flight AH5017 crashes in Mali with 116 passengers on board". City A.M. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- ^ "Air Algerie plane with 116 aboard crashes in Mali". KSDK. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- ^ "Air Algerie: British man killed in AH5017 crash — live". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- ^ Belalloufi, Amal; Ouali, Amer (24 July 2014). "Wreckage of missing Algerian airliner 'found in Mali'". Yahoo! News. Agence France-Presse. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
{{cite news}}
:|archive-date=
/|archive-url=
timestamp mismatch; 24 July 2014 suggested (help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Willsher, Kim; Mark, Monica (24 July 2014). "Air Algérie flight AH5017 wreckage 'found in Mali'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 July 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Mali president says wreckage of Air Algerie flight spotted in north". Reuters. Archived from the original on 24 July 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Second Black Box Found at Mali Crash Site". Voice Of America. 27 July 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
- ^ "Flight AH 5017 on 24 July 2014 - McDonnell Douglas MD-83 – registered EC-LTV". Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses (BEA). 28 July 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
- ^ "Communiqué No 04" (PDF). Air Algerie (in French).
- ^ "Missing Air Algerie plane has crashed: Algerian aviation official". Dawn. Agencies. Archived from the original on 24 July 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "ITAR-TASS: World – Air Algerie plane crashes in Niger — Algerian TV". Information Telegraph Agency of Russia. 24 July 2014. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Missing Air Algerie flight: Live updates as plane vanishes off radar with 116 on board". 24 July 2014. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
{{cite news}}
:|archive-date=
/|archive-url=
timestamp mismatch; 24 July 2014 suggested (help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Hollande pledges full efforts to locate Air Algerie flight". Xinhuanet. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Información Incidente Aéreo / Aviation Incident Information (Archive). Swiftair. Template:Es icon
- "Condoléances" (Archive). Air Algérie. Template:Fr icon