Dakar - Agadir

En route from Dakar to Agadir, while cruising at the altitude of 11,000 feet, the aircraft was hit by a SAM-7 surface-to-air missile. An engine detached and out of control, the aircraft entered a dive and crashed in a desert area near Bir Moghreïn. All five occupants were killed. They were on their way to Agadir on behalf of the United States Agency for International Development.

Flight / Schedule

Dakar - Agadir

Aircraft

Douglas DC-7

Registration

N284

MSN

45203

Year of Manufacture

1957

Date

December 8, 1988 at 12:00 AM

Type

CRASH

Flight Type

Positioning

Flight Phase

Flight

Crash Site

Desert

Crash Location

Bir Moghreïn Tiris Zemmour

Region

Africa • Mauritania

Coordinates

25.2311°, -11.5810°

Crash Cause

Terrorism act, Hijacking, Sabotage

Narrative Report

On December 8, 1988 at 12:00 AM, Dakar - Agadir experienced a crash involving Douglas DC-7, operated by T %26 G Aviation, with the event recorded near Bir Moghreïn Tiris Zemmour.

The flight was categorized as positioning and the reported phase was flight at a desert crash site.

5 people were known to be on board, 5 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.

Crew on board: 5, crew fatalities: 5, passengers on board: 0, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is terrorism act, hijacking, sabotage. En route from Dakar to Agadir, while cruising at the altitude of 11,000 feet, the aircraft was hit by a SAM-7 surface-to-air missile. An engine detached and out of control, the aircraft entered a dive and crashed in a desert area near Bir Moghreïn. All five occupants were killed. They were on their way to Agadir on behalf of the United States Agency for International Development.

Aircraft reference details include registration N284, MSN 45203, year of manufacture 1957.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 25.2311°, -11.5810°.

Fatalities

Total

5

Crew

5

Passengers

0

Other

0

Crash Summary

En route from Dakar to Agadir, while cruising at the altitude of 11,000 feet, the aircraft was hit by a SAM-7 surface-to-air missile. An engine detached and out of control, the aircraft entered a dive and crashed in a desert area near Bir Moghreïn. All five occupants were killed. They were on their way to Agadir on behalf of the United States Agency for International Development.

Cause: Terrorism act, Hijacking, Sabotage

Occupants & Outcome

Crew On Board

5

Passengers On Board

0

Estimated Survivors

0

Fatality Rate

100.0%

Known people on board: 5

Operational Details

Schedule / Flight

Dakar - Agadir

Flight Type

Positioning

Flight Phase

Flight

Crash Site

Desert

Region / Country

Africa • Mauritania

Aircraft Details

Aircraft

Douglas DC-7

Registration

N284

MSN

45203

Year of Manufacture

1957

Similar Plane Crashes

October 17, 1925 at 12:00 AM1 Fatalities

Lignes Aériennes Latécoère

Breguet 14

The pilot Guy Martin des Pallières was performing a mail flight between South America and France. While cruising over Port Etienne (Nouadhibou), Mauritania, he suffered sunstroke and lost control of the airplane that crashed on the ground. He was rescued and transferred to a local hospital where he died from his injuries a day later.

October 12, 1932 at 12:00 AM1 Fatalities

L'Aéropostale

Latécoère 28

Shortly after takeoff from Port Étienne (Nouadhibou), the aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances. The pilot Albert Pinot, sole on board, was killed.

July 2, 1942 at 12:00 AM

Air France

Lockheed 18 LodeStar

Shortly after take off from Port-Étienne Airport, while in initial climb, the twin engine aircraft stalled and crashed near the runway end. All three occupants were injured while the aircraft was destroyed. The crew was completing a regular mail flight from Toulouse to Dakar.

May 26, 1952 at 08:45 AM1 Fatalities

British Overseas Airways Corporation - BOAC

Handley Page H.P.81 Hermes

The aircraft took off on a scheduled service from Tripoli to Kano with a crew of eight and ten passengers. The weather forecast indicated fine weather en route and thunderstorms in the Kano area. Due to faulty use of the variation setting control on the Gyrosyn compass and the inability of the crew to determine the aircraft's position properly by the standard methods, the aircraft, with practically no fuel and over the desert, made a wheels-up landing in a wide depression littered with shifting sand-dunes surrounded by rocky escarpments. The port wing was torn off and the remainder of the aircraft slewed left and came to a standstill without breaking up. No fire resulted and all passengers and crew were evacuated without difficulty. Six were slightly injured but the copilot died five days later as a result of exhaustion brought about by strain and heat.

June 30, 1956 at 10:32 AM58 Fatalities

United Airlines

Douglas DC-7

United Air Lines Flight 718 was regularly scheduled from Los Angeles to Chicago, Illinois. On June 30, 1956, it took off from runway 25L (left) of the Los Angeles International Airport at 0904 (three minutes after TWA 2). Flight 718 was on an IFR flight plan to Chicago via Green Airway 5 Palm Springs inter-section, direct Needles, direct Painted Desert, direct Durango, direct Pueblo, direct St. Joseph. Victor Airway 116 Joliet, Victor Airway 84 Chicago Midway Airport. The flight plan proposed a .JPG"> airspeed of 288 knots., a cruising altitude of 21,000 feet, and a departure time of 0845. The flight crew consisted of Captain Robert F. Shirley, First Officer Robert W. Harms, Flight Engineer Gerard Flore, and Stewardesses Nancy L. Kemnitz and Margaret A. Shoudt. Flight preparations and dispatch of United 718 were routine and the aircraft departed with 3,850 gallons of fuel. The company load manifest showed the gross weight of the aircraft at takeoff to be 105,835 pounds, which was less than the maximum allowable of 114,060 pounds; the latter weight was restricted from a maximum of 122,200 pounds for the aircraft because of a landing limitation at Chicago. The load was properly distributed with respect to the center of gravity limitations of the aircraft. After takeoff the flight contacted the Los Angeles tower radar controller, who vectored it through the overcast over the same departure course as TWA 2. United 718 reported "on top" and changed to Los Angeles Center frequency for its en route clearance. This corresponded to the flight plan as filed; however, the controller specified that the climb to assigned altitude be in VER conditions. Flight 718 made position reports to Aeronautical Radio, Inc., which serves under contract as United company radio. It reported passing over Riverside and later over Palm Springs intersection. The latter report indicated that United 718 was still climbing to 21,000 and estimated it would reach Needles at 1000 and the Painted Desert at 1034. At approximately 0958 United 718 made a position report to the CAA communications station located at Needles. This report stated that the flight was over Needles at 0958, at 21,000 feet, and estimated the Painted Desert at 1031, with Durango next. At 1031 an unidentified radio transmission was heard by Aeronautical Radio communicators at Salt Lake City and San Francisco. They were not able to understand the message when it was received but it was later determined by playing back the recorded transmission that the message was from United 718. Context was interpreted as: "Salt Lake, United 718 . . . ah . . . we're going in."

January 31, 1957 at 11:18 AM7 Fatalities

Douglas Aircraft Company

Douglas DC-7

On January 31, at 1015, N8210H took off tram runway 03 of the Santa Monica, California, Airport. The aircraft was a new DC-7B being flown for the first time for the purpose of functionally checking the aircraft and its components in flight following production. The flight crew were Douglas Aircraft employees consisting of Pilot William G. Carr; Copilot Archie R. Twitchell; Flight Engineer Waldo B. Adams; and Radio Operator Roy Nakazawa. The aircraft had been subject to many regular inspections during its manufacture and numerous inspections which were required after production preceding the first flight. Accordingly, it was presumed the DC-7B was in airworthy condition. Preparations for the flight by its crew were routine, Departure was on a local VFR flight plan filed with the operations office of the company. The plan showed six hours of fuel aboard end that the flight duration wee estimated as 2 hours 15 minutes. It also showed the gross takeoff night of N8210H was 88,000, pounds, well under the maximum allowable. The load was properly distributed with respect to center of gravity limitations. According to routine procedure the flight switched to the Douglas company radio frequency after takeoff and made periodic progress reports. At 1030 the crew reported over the Catalina intersection, 9,000 feet, routine, and thereafter, at 1106, over Ontario, 25,000 feet, routine. At 1050 that morning, the Northrop operated F-89J, 52-1870, took off from runway 25 of the Palmdale, California, Airport, accompanied by another F-89J, 53-25 6A. The flight of 52-1870 was one of a series of functional flight checks following the completion of IRAN (inspection and repair as necessary), an overhaul project performed under contract by Northrop Aircraft for the United States Air Force. The specific flight was in accordance with provisions of the contract and its purpose was to check the radar fire control systems of both of the all-weather interceptors. The two-member flight crew of 52-1870 consisted of Pilot Roland E. Owen and Radar Operator Curtiss A. Adams, both employees of Northrop. Preparations for the operation were routine and departure was in accordance with a local VFR flight plan filed with the flight department of the company. The plan indicated the estimated duration of the operation as one hour with sufficient fuel aboard for approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes, considering afterburner time, altitude, and power settings for the mission. The F-89's took off individually, using afterburners, with a separation interval, of 20 seconds. In a wide starboard orbit the pilots utilized radar in a “snake climb” to 25,000 feet. At that altitude, a predetermined scissoring flight pattern was utilized which positioned the F-89's, without ground radar control, for simulated all-weather interceptor attacks on each other, during which the operation of airborne radar equipment could be checked. Radio transmissions, on company frequency, were recorded by ground facilities. These were routine commands between the pilots as they executed the radar check pattern and intercepts. At 1118 activity in the Douglas radio roan was interrupted by an emergency transmission from N 8210H. The voices were recognized by radio personnel familiar with the crew members. Pilot Cart first transmitted, “Uncontrollable," Copilot Twitchell then said, “We‘re a midair collision - midair collision, 10 How (aircraft identification using phonetic How for H) we are going in-uncontrollable - uncontrollable - we are . . . we've had it boy - poor jet too - told you we should take chutes - say goodbye to everybody.” Radio Operator Nakazawa’s voice was recognized and he concluded the tragic message with, "We are spinning In the valley.” This final transmission from the flight is presented because it contained important information relative to the accident investigation. It not only establishes the midair collision but also indicates the DC-7 was rendered uncontrollable. It further indicates that Mr. Twitchell at least recognized the aircraft with which they collided as a jet. Further, the DC-7 spun during its descent to the ground. All four crew members on board the DC-7 were killed plus three people on the ground. Seventy others have been injured. Weather conditions in the area at the time of the accident were reported by the Weather Bureau as clear, visibility 50 miles. Winds aloft at 25,000 were approximately 30 knots from 320 degrees.