UTA Flight 141
Encyclopedia
UTA Flight 141 was a charter flight operated by Union des Transports Aériens de Guinée
.
On 25 December 2003 the airplane crashed in the Bight of Benin
, killing 151 of the 163 occupants, most of them Lebanese
.
Flight 141 was flown on 3X-GDO, an ex-American Airlines Boeing 727-223, on the day of the crash. The airliner's route was Conakry International Airport
- Cotonou Cadjehoun Airport
- Kufra Airport
- Beirut International Airport
. Many of the passengers were workers who were flying back home to Lebanon to enjoy the holidays with their families.
On takeoff from Cotonou, the aircraft ran off the end of the runway, impacting several ground structures including an occupied outbuilding and crashed on the ocean beach because it was severely overloaded with passengers and cargo and the aircraft's center of gravity was well out of limits, according to the accident report.
The Government of Benin established a National Commission of Inquiry to investigate the accident, as outlined by Decree No 2003-563 of 26 December 2003. The commission's president established Order No 3451/MDN/DC/SA of 30 December 2003, which gave the Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile
, the aviation investigation agency of France, the responsibility of conducting the technical investigation. The BEA wrote the original accident report and translated the report into English.
Exact passenger numbers are impossible to determine, as it is thought that there were more passengers aboard than were listed on the manifest.
Some newspaper reports have led many to suspect that the airplane used for this flight was, in fact, a 727-223 designated N844AA
that had disappeared about one year earlier, along with flight engineer Ben Charles Padilla. This rumor turned out to be unfounded.
Some passengers who survived the initial crash died while being hospitalized.
This was the 100th aviation accident involving the Boeing 727
.
Union des Transports Aériens de Guinée
Union des Transports Aériens de Guinée was a Guinean and Lebanese regional airline.-Code data:...
.
On 25 December 2003 the airplane crashed in the Bight of Benin
Bight of Benin
The Bight of Benin is a bight on the western African coast that extends eastward for about 400 miles from Cape St. Paul to the Nun outlet of the Niger River. To the east it is continued by the Bight of Bonny . The bight is part of the Gulf of Guinea...
, killing 151 of the 163 occupants, most of them Lebanese
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
.
Flight 141 was flown on 3X-GDO, an ex-American Airlines Boeing 727-223, on the day of the crash. The airliner's route was Conakry International Airport
Conakry International Airport
Conakry International Airport , also known as Gbessia International Airport, is an airport located in Conakry, the capital of the Republic of Guinea in West Africa. It is divided into domestic and international terminals...
- Cotonou Cadjehoun Airport
Cadjehoun Airport
Cotonou Cadjehoun Airport is an airport located in Cotonou, the biggest city in Benin in West Africa.In 2004, the airport served 301,493 passengers.-Airlines and destinations:-Incidents and accidents:...
- Kufra Airport
Kufra Airport
Kufra Airport is an airport in Kufra, southeastern Libya - .- History :Kufra Airport began as Buma Airfield, built in the 1930s as a minor facility by the Italians. In early World War II, it provided an air link to Italian East Africa...
- Beirut International Airport
Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport
Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport is located 9 km from the city centre in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon and is the only operational commercial airport in the country. It is the hub for Lebanon's national carrier, Middle East Airlines...
. Many of the passengers were workers who were flying back home to Lebanon to enjoy the holidays with their families.
On takeoff from Cotonou, the aircraft ran off the end of the runway, impacting several ground structures including an occupied outbuilding and crashed on the ocean beach because it was severely overloaded with passengers and cargo and the aircraft's center of gravity was well out of limits, according to the accident report.
The Government of Benin established a National Commission of Inquiry to investigate the accident, as outlined by Decree No 2003-563 of 26 December 2003. The commission's president established Order No 3451/MDN/DC/SA of 30 December 2003, which gave the Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile
Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la sécurité de l'Aviation Civile
The Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile is an agency of the French government, responsible for investigating aviation accidents and making safety recommendations based on what is learned from those investigations. It is headquartered in Building 153 on the grounds...
, the aviation investigation agency of France, the responsibility of conducting the technical investigation. The BEA wrote the original accident report and translated the report into English.
Exact passenger numbers are impossible to determine, as it is thought that there were more passengers aboard than were listed on the manifest.
Some newspaper reports have led many to suspect that the airplane used for this flight was, in fact, a 727-223 designated N844AA
N844AA
On May 25, 2003, a Boeing 727-223 registered as N844AA was stolen from Quatro de Fevereiro Airport in Luanda, Angola. Its disappearance prompted a world-wide search by the FBI and the CIA.- The 727-aircraft :...
that had disappeared about one year earlier, along with flight engineer Ben Charles Padilla. This rumor turned out to be unfounded.
Some passengers who survived the initial crash died while being hospitalized.
This was the 100th aviation accident involving the Boeing 727
Boeing 727
The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced...
.
External links
(Summary of the French accident investigation)- Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la sécurité de l'Aviation CivileBureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la sécurité de l'Aviation CivileThe Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile is an agency of the French government, responsible for investigating aviation accidents and making safety recommendations based on what is learned from those investigations. It is headquartered in Building 153 on the grounds...