The aircraft involved in the accident, previously operated by Liberia World Airlines
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| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 4 July 2002 (2002-07-04) |
| Summary | Crashed on approach |
| Site | Guitangola, near Bangui Airport, Central African Republic |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 707-123B |
| Operator | Prestige Airlines |
| Registration | 9XR-IS |
| Flight origin | N'Djamena Airport, N'Djamena, Chad |
| Destination | Maya-Maya Airport, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo |
| Occupants | 30 |
| Passengers | 21 |
| Crew | 9 |
| Fatalities | 28 |
| Injuries | 2 |
| Survivors | 2 |
On 4 July 2002, a Boeing 707-123B operated by Prestige Airlines crashed whilst attempting an emergency landingatBangui Airport. 28 people on board were killed and two survived.[1] The flight was bound to Brazzaville, but the crew decided to divert to Bangui when the landing gear failed to retract.
The passengers consisted of 17 Chadians on board. The Boeing 707 belonged to airline New Gomair, owned by a local businessmen, but was chartered by Prestige Airlines at the time of the accident.[2]
On final approach to Bangui, the aircraft descended until it contacted the ground. The crash occurred in clear weather at about 11:15 a.m. local time in the neighborhood of Guitangola, two miles short of the Bangui Airport's runway.[3][4] The aircraft exploded upon touchdown, scattering wreckage and reportedly causing the roof of an empty house to collapse.[3]
The two survivors were engineer Laurent Tabako and a woman from Chad, both were admitted to a hospital. According to Tabako, the engines stopped before landing and the crew may have dumped too much fuel before an emergency landing. The witnesses reportedly did not hear the usual engine noise during the crash and saw no flames when the aircraft disintegrated. The aircraft's flight recorder and voice recorder were recovered and an investigation was launched by the government of the Central African Republic.[2]
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Aviation accidents and incidents in 2002 (2002)
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|---|---|
Jan 5 Jan 14 Jan 16 Jan 27 Jan 28 Feb 12 Apr 15 Apr 18 May 3 May 4 May 7 China Northern Airlines Flight 6136 May 7 May 25 Jun 17 C-130 Hercules airtanker crash Jul 1 Jul 1 America West Airlines Flight 556 Jul 4 Prestige Airlines Boeing 707 crash Jul 10 Swiss International Air Lines Flight 850 Jul 16 Bristow Helicopters Sikorsky crash Jul 18 PB4Y-2 Privateer airtanker crash Jul 26 Africa One Antonov An-26 crash Jul 26 Jul 27 Jul 28 Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise Flight 9560 Aug 19 Aug 22 Shangri-La Air Twin Otter crash Aug 30 Rico Linhas Aéreas Flight 4823 Sep 14 Total Linhas Aéreas Flight 5561 Oct 9 Nov 6 Nov 11 Laoag International Airlines Flight 585 Dec 21 Dec 23 | |
