Alexandria – El Salloum – Valetta – Croydon
Flight / Schedule
Alexandria – El Salloum – Valetta – Croydon
Aircraft
Lockheed 14 Super ElectraRegistration
G-AFYU
MSN
1444
Year of Manufacture
1939
Operator
British AirwaysDate
December 21, 1939 at 01:00 PM
Type
CRASHFlight Type
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Flight Phase
Flight
Crash Site
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Crash Location
Libya All Libya
Region
Africa • Libya
Crash Cause
Technical failure
Narrative Report
On December 21, 1939 at 01:00 PM, Alexandria – El Salloum – Valetta – Croydon experienced a crash involving Lockheed 14 Super Electra, operated by British Airways, with the event recorded near Libya All Libya.
The flight was categorized as scheduled revenue flight and the reported phase was flight at a lake, sea, ocean, river crash site.
11 people were known to be on board, 5 fatalities were recorded, 6 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 45.5%.
Crew on board: 5, crew fatalities: 2, passengers on board: 6, passenger fatalities: 3, other fatalities: 0.
The listed crash cause is technical failure. Less than one hour after his departure from El Salloum Airport, at the border between Egypt and Libya, the pilot sent a mayday message due to unknown technical problems. He was forced to ditch the aircraft off the Libyan coast. The crew of a ship was quickly on the scene and was able to rescue six occupants, among them the pilot, while five other occupants were killed.
Aircraft reference details include registration G-AFYU, MSN 1444, year of manufacture 1939.
Fatalities
Total
5
Crew
2
Passengers
3
Other
0
Crash Summary
Less than one hour after his departure from El Salloum Airport, at the border between Egypt and Libya, the pilot sent a mayday message due to unknown technical problems. He was forced to ditch the aircraft off the Libyan coast. The crew of a ship was quickly on the scene and was able to rescue six occupants, among them the pilot, while five other occupants were killed.
Cause: Technical failure
Occupants & Outcome
Crew On Board
5
Passengers On Board
6
Estimated Survivors
6
Fatality Rate
45.5%
Known people on board: 11
Operational Details
Schedule / Flight
Alexandria – El Salloum – Valetta – Croydon
Operator
British AirwaysFlight Type
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Flight Phase
Flight
Crash Site
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Region / Country
Africa • Libya
Aircraft Details
Similar Plane Crashes
L'Aéropostale
Nieuport-Delage NiD-641
The aircraft departed Paris-Le Bourget on a mail flight to Saigon, carrying three crew members. Intermediate stops were scheduled in Marseille, Algiers, Tunis, Tripoli, Benghazi, Cairo, Basra, Agra, Allahabad, Calcutta, Akyab and Yangon. En route from Tripoli to Benghazi, the aircraft crashed in the Mediterranean Sea in unknown circumstances. As the airplane failed to arrive in Benghazi, SAR operations were initiated and on December 23, the crew of an Italian ship found the wreckage and the dead bodied on a beach located near Sirte. Crew: Edmond Lasalle, pilot, Mr. Reybard, radio navigator, Mr. Faltot, engineer.
Private French
Caudron C.630 Simoun
The Caudron C.630 Simoun with s/n 7042 was ordered in July 1935, built and delivered to its owner Antoine de Saint-Exupéry in September 1935. After several trips in Africa, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry decided at the end of December to fly from Paris to Saigon to establish a new record. After 19 hours and 38 minutes of flight, while cruising by night over the Libyan desert, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with heavy rain falls. The crew decided first to climb to 2,500 meters but cumulus were still there so he reduced his altitude to 1,000 meters then 400 meters and lower until the aircraft struck a sandy ground and crashed. Both occupants were uninjured but walked away for four days without water or any food before being rescued. The aircraft was written off.
British Airways
Spartan Cruiser
On landing, the three engine aircraft went out of control and came to rest. While all three occupants were unhurt, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
British Airways
De Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide
On landing, the twin engine aircraft went out of control, veered off runway and collided with a hangar. All eight occupants were slightly injured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. The exact cause of the loss of control on touch down is unknown.
British Airways
De Havilland DH.86 Express
The crew was performing a mail flight from Germany to London-Gatwick Airport. While cruising by night, the four engine aircraft went out of control and crashed in unknown circumstances some 50 km southeast of Cologne. Both crew were killed.
British Airways
Fokker F12
The crew was on its way from London to Madrid with an intermediate stop in Biarritz to deliver the aircraft to the Spanish Nationalists Air Force. On approach to Biarritz-Parme Airport, crew encountered an unknown situation and decided to make a go around. While trying to climb, the three engine aircraft stalled and crashed in flames in an open field. Both crew were killed and the aircraft was destroyed by post crash fire. It is not clear if the crew was attempting a first, a second or a third approach when the accident occurred. It is also possible that the aircraft was hit by lightning as the weather conditions were marginal at the time of the accident. Crew: Mr. Lasocki, Mr. Morawski.