Libyan Arab Airlines

Fokker F27 Friendship

The aircraft departed Siirt on a cloud-seeding flight to Tripoli. It is believed that the crew encountered technical problems enroute and decided to attempt an emergency landing. The aircraft belly landed in a sandy area located 15 km south of Bani Walid and came to rest. All five occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Boeing 727-200

Following an uneventful flight from Benghazi, the crew was cleared to start the descent to Tripoli Airport. Due to military traffic, the crew was instructed to hold over the Papa Echo beacon located 4,1 DME from runway 27 threshold. At an altitude of 3,000 feet, the Boeing 727 collided with a Libyan Air Force MiG-23 that just took off from Tripoli Airport. The fighter struck the tail of the Boeing that entered a dive and crashed 9 km from the airport after the tail separated. All 157 occupants were killed while both pilots on board the fighter ejected safely.

Boeing 707

During the takeoff roll at Tripoli Airport, after a course of about 700 metres, the aircraft veered off runway to the left. While contacting soft ground, all undercarriage and all four engines were torn off. The aircraft slid for few dozen metres and came to rest, broken in three and bursting into flames. All 199 occupants were evacuated, among them 10 were injured.

Fokker F27 Friendship

The aircraft was completing a special flight on behalf of the Libyan Red Crescent. On approach, the crew was instructed to follow a holding circuit of 40 minutes because a landing was not possible due to poor weather conditions. When the circuit was completed, the crew initiated the approach but the visibility was still poor as the weather did not improve. The aircraft landed hard, causing the left main gear to collapse. The left wing struck the ground and was torn off till the engine. Out of control, the aircraft veered off runway to the left and came to rest, bursting into flames. All five occupants were injured and the aircraft was destroyed.

Fokker F27 Friendship

After takeoff from Zillah Airport, while climbing, the crew encountered vibration on the left engine and decided to return for a safe landing. Unable to maintain a safe altitude, the aircraft crash landed in a desert area located few km from the airport. All 39 occupants were evacuated, among them nine passengers were injured. The aircraft was written off.

Fokker F27 Friendship

The runway 18/36 was closed to traffic due to maintenance and the surface on the south part was removed. Only the runway 09/27 was available for traffic. For unknown reasons (poor flight preparation, misunderstanding or poor crew coordination), the aircraft landed on the south part of the runway 18/36. In the center of the runway, the aircraft struck a two meters trench. Upon impact, the left main gear collapsed and the aircraft came to rest on its belly. There were no casualties and the aircraft was written off.

Fokker F27 Friendship

While descending to Kufra, both engines failed. The crew completed an emergency belly landing in a sandy area located 56 km from Kufra. There were no casualties while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. It was reported that the aircraft ran out of fuel.

Fokker F27 Friendship

Crashed upon landing at Kufra Airport for unknown reasons. There were no casualties.

Boeing 727-200

Flight 114 was an international scheduled service from Tripoli to Bahrain with intermediate stops in Benghazi and Cairo. On board were 104 passengers and a crew of nine, five from Air France, among them the captain, Mr. Jacques Bourgès, aged 42. Normally, the Benghazi – Cairo route was flown eastwards along the Libyan coast until reaching the city of Sidi Barrani in Egypt, where the airway turned inland to the VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) and Non-Directional Beacon (NDB) area located west of Lake Qarun. The entry to the Cairo terminal area was made on a north-easterly heading over a 71-nautical-mile (131 km) long path that separated Lake Qarun from the Cairo VOR. At 13:45 the Cairo traffic control (CTC) saw the aircraft approaching from the west. Permission was granted to land in runway 23. CTC surprisingly saw the Boeing heading eastward towards the Suez Canal at 13:50. Evidence from both the recovered Boeing 727 voice recorders and the Israeli authorities' flight data recorder later showed that the Libyan aircraft was likely to had been already off course when it reported its position over Qarun, probably due to strong westerly upper-level winds associated to a low level sandstorm. The crew was forced to rely on instrument navigation because of this sandstorm. Both instrument and navigational error caused the aircraft to go off course, entering airspace dominated by Israel when flying over the Sinai Peninsula. By this time the aircraft had been lost from the Egyptian air traffic control. The crew believed they were close to the destination airport and started the descent. At 13:55 the aircraft was detected in the radar by the Israelis as it was entering Israeli airspace; it was located south-east of Suez at an altitude of 15,000 feet (4,600 m). Two Israeli Air Force Phantoms were sent to intercept the then unidentified aircraft. Following the re-establishment of communications with CTC the pilot of the Libyan aircraft looked through the cabin's port window and saw the fighters, but he mistook them for Egyptian MiGs. The Libyan aircraft continued flying deeper into the Sinai at a speed of 325 miles per hour (523 km/h), but it suddenly veered to the west. It was at that time that the Boeing's crew realised they were having problems with their instruments. The Israeli fighter pilots attempted to make visual contact with the passenger airliner's crew, and tried to communicate to them by signaling with their hands and dipping their wings. The 727 crew's response was interpreted as a denial of that request. The 727 adopting a westward course was interpreted by the Israeli pilots as an attempt to flee. The Israeli Phantom pilots fired bursts from their 20 mm M61 cannons, severely damaging the airliner's control surfaces, hydraulic systems, and wing structure. Flight 114 attempted an emergency landing in an area covered with sand dunes, but crashed, with an explosion near the right main landing gear. Four passengers and the copilot survived while 108 other occupants were killed. The copilot later said that the flight crew knew the Israeli jets wanted them to land but relations between Israel and Libya made them decide against following instructions. In direct contradiction to the co-pilot's own account, the Libyan government stated that the attack occurred without warning. Israel's air force perceived Flight 114 as a security threat, and that among the possible tasks it could have been undertaking was an aerial spy mission over the Israeli air base at Bir Gifgafa. The Israeli government also revealed that LN114 was shot down with the personal authorization of David Elazar, the Israeli Chief of Staff. Israel's argument was that the heightened security situation and the erratic behaviour of the jet's crew made the actions taken prudent. The United Nations did not take any action against Israel. The 30 member nations of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) voted to censure Israel for the attack. The United States did not accept the reasoning given by Israel, and condemned the incident. Israel's Defense Minister, Moshe Dayan, called it an "error of judgment", and Israel paid compensation to the victims' families.