2014 Algerian Air Force C-130 crash

On 11 February 2014, a C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft of the Algerian Air Force, carrying 74 passengers and 4 crew members, crashed into Djebel Fertas mountain near Aïn Kercha, Algeria. Only one person survived.[1][2][3][4]

2014 Algeria C-130 crash
An Algerian Air Force C-130 similar to the aircraft involved in the crash
Accident
Date11 February 2014 (2014-02-11)
SummaryUnder investigation
SiteNear Aïn Kercha, Oum El Bouaghi Province, Algeria
36.0118°N 6.6862°E / 36.0118; 6.6862
Aircraft
Aircraft typeLockheed C-130H-30 Hercules
OperatorAlgerian Air Force
Registration7T-WHM
Flight originTamanrasset, Algeria
StopoverOuargla, Algeria
DestinationConstantine, Algeria
Occupants78
Passengers74
Crew4
Fatalities77
Injuries1
Survivors1

Preliminary reports suggest that bad weather conditions might have caused the crash.[5][6] Eyewitness accounts describe the aircraft clipping a mountain before crashing.[6] The accident is under investigation.

Weather conditions

Algerian defence ministry said the crash was likely caused by bad weather,[7] including a storm and cascading snow, which Algerian aviation experts said most likely had led to poor visibility.[3]

According to AccuWeather, at the time of the crash "an area of low pressure moving through the region was producing widespread showers mixed with snow in the higher terrain of the area"; meteorologist Eric Leister added that, "along with the rain and snow, wind gusts more than 30 mph (48 km/h) were reported in several locations in the region".[8]

Accident

Contact with the aircraft was reportedly lost between Constantine and Oum El Bouaghi just before noon and air traffic controllers dispatched helicopters to search for it.[9] The sole survivor, a soldier, was taken to a military hospital in Constantine due to injuries from head trauma.[10] The passengers included soldiers and members of their families.[1]

Aircraft

The aircraft was a US-manufactured C-130 Hercules with the registration number 7T-WHM. Lockheed Martin confirmed it sold C-130H aircraft to Algeria from 1981 to 1990. As of 2011, Algeria had 16 of the type according to FlightGlobal.[11]

Investigation

Recovery teams located one of the two flight recorders, according to El Watan. Emergency services had recovered 76 bodies from the site.[10]

Reaction

Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced three days of state mourning starting 12 February,[7] while also praising the dead soldiers as "martyrs".[10] The defence ministry said it had established an investigative commission and that army chief of staff and deputy defence minister Ahmed Gaid Salah would visit the crash site.[7]

See also

References
  1. "Algerian army plane crashes – dozens dead, one survivor". BBC News. 11 February 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  2. "ASN Aircraft accident Lockheed C-130H-30 Hercules 7T-WHM Aïn Kercha". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  3. "Military Plane Crash in Algeria Leaves Scores Dead". The New York Times. 11 February 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  4. "At least 103 dead after military plane crashes in Algeria". Voice of Russia. 11 February 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  5. "TV: Over 100 feared dead as military plane crashes in Algeria (update)". Trend News Agency. 11 February 2014. Archived from the original on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  6. "Over 100 feared dead as military plane crashes in Algeria – local TV". RT. 11 February 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  7. "Algerian military plane crashes into mountain, 77 killed". Reuters. 11 February 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  8. "Dozens Said to Die in Algerian Military Plane Crash". The New York Times. 11 February 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  9. "Plane crash kills 77 but 1 man survives" Archived 13 February 2014 at Archive.today. www.rep-am.com. 12 February 2014. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  10. "Algeria mourns plane crash victims". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  11. "77 dead, 1 survivor in Algeria plane crash, official says" Archived 11 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine. FoxNews.com. 11 February 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
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