Narrative:The aircraft was on a delivery flight from Paris to Hanoi with scheduled stops along the route. The stop after Nicosia was to be Basra, but failure of the HF radio equipment forced the crew to divert to Beirut, were the necessary repair services were available. Shortly before touchdown the aircraft struck a mound short of the runway damaging the right hand undercarriage, which collapsed on landing.
Probable Cause:
PROBABLE CAUSE: "Pilot error due to lack of knowledge of the terrain. The existence of the mound was only an aggravating circumstance. The failure of the right landing gear may be explained by the excessive landing weight of the aircraft."
Sources:
» ICAO Accident Digest, Circular 47-AN/42 (52-53)
Photos
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does
not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Nicosia Airport to Basra International Airport as the crow flies is 1427 km (892 miles).
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.