Passengers 47 Fatalities 36 Survivors 18 Number of deaths 36 Operator Central African Airways | Crew 7 Injuries (non-fatal) Unknown Date 9 August 1958 Summary Pilot error Survivor 18 | |
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Site Near Benina International Airport in Libya Destination Benina International Airport Similar 1958 London Vickers Vi, 1958 Channel Airways d, 1958 Dan‑Air Avro York, Winter Hill air disaster, KLM Flight 607‑E | ||
Central african airways vickers vicount 748 1963
The 1958 Central African Airways plane crash occurred when a Vickers Viscount airliner crashed during a scheduled passenger flight from Wadi Halfa, Sudan, to Benghazi, Libya, on 9 August 1958 about nine kilometers southeast of Benina International Airport in Libya. A total of forty-seven passengers and seven crew members were on board of whom only eighteen survived, making it the deadliest ever plane crash in Libya at the time of the accident.
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Cause of the crash
According to an International Civil Aviation Organization accident digest, the plane crashed when making an approach to runway 33 Right and, while flying in clouds the pilot descended below the appropriate height, causing the aircraft to crash into high ground. While the reason for the quick descent remains unknown, it is believed the pilot may have misinterpreted the reading of his altimeter as a result of fatigue and possible indisposition.