The aircraft involved in the accident, registered as 5A-ONG, was MSN (Manufacturer Serial Number) 1024, delivered from the production line in September 2009. The aircraft had accumulated approximately 1600 flight hours in some 420 flights. It was powered by General Electric CF6-80E1 engines. At this time no further factual information is available.
Preliminary reports indicate that the aircraft crashed short of the runway threshold during approach. According to available information there were 93 passengers and 11 crew on board.

In line with ICAO Annex 13 international convention Airbus is dispatching a team of technical advisors to support the investigation authorities and the Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses (BEA) as accredited representative.

The Airbus A330-200 is a widebody, twin-engine aircraft, which typically carries 253 passengers in a three-class, twin-aisle cabin on medium to long range routes of up to 7,250 nautical miles (13,400km). The A330-200 was first delivered in April 1998.

The concerns and sympathy of the Airbus employees go to the families, friends and loved ones affected by the accident.

The post Airbus Official Afriqiyah Press Release first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

The post South African Media Release: first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

As the State of design and manufacture for the engines, NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman has designated Senior Air Safety Investigator, Lorenda Ward, as the U.S. Accredited Representative. The U.S. team will also include an NTSB engines specialist as well as technical advisors from the Federal Aviation Administration, and General Electric. The team is expected to arrive tomorrow afternoon.

The Bureau d’Enquete et d’Analyse (BEA) of France, representing the country of manufacture of the airplane, has also sent a team of investigators to Libya.

The investigation is being conducted by the Libyan Civil Aviation Authority, which will release all information on the progress of the investigation.

The post NTSB SENDING TEAM TO ASSIST GOVERNMENT OF LIBYA IN AVIATION ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

At this moment we cannot speculate further and will relay to you all factual information as we receive them.

Parties seeking information on passengers should contact:

From Libya: 0213341181
International: +44 203 3552737

We would like to inform the passenger’s relatives of the ill-fated Afriqiyah flight 8U 771 on May 12, 2010 that all assistance will be offered to them if they wish to travel to Tripoli – tickets, accommodation, and visa will be granted upon arrival in Tripoli.

There will be no need for the Arabic translation of passport usually required.
From Libya: 0213341181
International: +44 203 3552737

The post Afriqiyah Flight 771 crash release first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.

What: Afriqiyah Airways Airbus A330-200 en route from Johannesburg South Africa to Tripoli, Libya
Where: Tripoli’s runway 09
When: May 12th 2010
Who: 93 passengers and 11 crew (105 reported fatalities: 94 passengers and 11 crew) A child may have survived.
Why: In good weather conditions with winds of three mph, the flight was on approach to Tripoli International Airport which has no instrument landing system and the runway itself is not in good condition. The accident happened one minute before sea level sunrise may have had to deal with visibility problems flying toward the rising sun, or possibly patchy fog.

The plane crashed on approach to the runway and is fragmented as if a high speed impact.

The wreckage area is described as a debris field. Rescue crew and volunteers are on the scene and all bodies are said to have been recovered, with one possible survivor.

Afriqiyah Airways is owned by the Libyan government.

The post Afriqiyah Crash: What happened? first appeared on George Hatcher's Air Flight Disaster.