Mecca - Benghazi - Tripoli

On December 2, 1977 at 12:00 AM, Mecca - Benghazi - Tripoli experienced a crash involving Tupolev TU-154, operated by Balkan Bulgarian Airlines, with the event recorded near Al Bayda Jabal al Akhdar (<U+0627><U+0644><U+062C><U+0628><U+0644> <U+0627><U+0644><U+0627><U+062E><U+0636><U+0631>).

The flight was categorized as charter/taxi (non scheduled revenue flight) and the reported phase was landing (descent or approach) at a desert crash site.

165 people were known to be on board, 59 fatalities were recorded, 106 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 35.8%.

Crew on board: 6, crew fatalities: 0, passengers on board: 159, passenger fatalities: 59, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is technical failure. The aircraft was completing a charter flight from Mecca to Tripoli with an intermediate stop in Benghazi, carrying Libyan pilgrims flying back home. While descending to Benghazi Airport, the crew was instructed by ATC to divert to Al Bayda as the airport was closed due to foggy conditions. In the area of Al Bayda, the crew was unable to locate the airport due to fog and completed several circuits when the airplane ran out of fuel. The pilot-in-command attempted an emergency landing in a desert area located few km from Al Bayda Airport when the aircraft crashed. 59 passengers were killed while 46 others occupants were injured and 60 escaped uninjured.

Aircraft reference details include registration LZ-BTN, MSN 74A054, year of manufacture 1974.