1977 Libyan Arab Airlines Tu-154 crash
.jpg) A Balkan Tu-154 similar to the one involved | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 2 December 1977 |
| Summary | Forced landing after fuel exhaustion |
| Site | Near Benghazi, Libya 32°06′16″N 20°22′14″E / 32.10456°N 20.370432°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Tupolev Tu-154 |
| Operator | Libyan Arab Airlines leased from Balkan Bulgarian Airlines |
| Registration | LZ-BTN |
| Flight origin | Jiddah International Airport, Saudi Arabia |
| Destination | Benina International Airport, Libya |
| Passengers | 159 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 59 |
| Survivors | 106 |
On 2 December 1977, a Tupolev Tu-154 passenger jet ran out of fuel and made a forced landing near Benghazi, Libya. A total of 59 passengers were killed.[1][2]
Aircraft
[edit]The aircraft was a Tu-154A registered LZ-BTN[a] and had its first flight in 1974.[4] It was one of six Tu-154s to be leased by Libyan Arab Airlines from Balkan Bulgarian Airlines for that year's pilgrim flights to Mecca for the Hajj.[4]
Accident
[edit]The aircraft took off from Jiddah International Airport in Saudi Arabia on a flight to Benina International Airport in the Libyan city of Benghazi with a crew of six and 159 passengers – pilgrims returning to Libya from the Hajj – on board.[4] Egyptian airspace was closed to Libyan aircraft at the time, necessitating an indirect route to Benghazi instead of the direct route across Egypt; the crew reportedly did not plan for the longer flight time, leaving the aircraft short of fuel.[5] As the aircraft neared Benghazi, heavy fog blanketed the airport and the crew could not land the aircraft.[4] After failing to locate the alternate airport, the aircraft ran out of fuel and made a forced landing, killing 59 out of the 165 on board.[4][5][1]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Хроника падающих Ту-154" [• Gazeta.Ru: Chronicle of falling Tu-154]. www.gazeta.ru (in Russian). 10 July 2001. Archived from the original on 14 July 2001. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
- ^ "Crash of a Tupolev TU-154 in Al Bayda: 59 killed". www.baaa-acro.com. B3A Aircraft Accidents Archives. Archived from the original on 9 April 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
- ^ "Photo of LZ-BTN [2] dated 1997, with explanatory caption". Airhistory.net. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Ranter, Harro. "Aviation Safety Network LZ-BTN accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Flight Safety Foundation. Archived from the original on 8 April 2005. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
- ^ a b "FLIGHT SAFETY 1977 — a safe year for scheduled passengers". www.flightglobal.com. 21 January 1978. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2010.