Date:	Saturday 2 January 1971
Time:
Type:	de Havilland DH-106 Comet 4C
Owner/operator:	United Arab Airlines - UAA
Registration:	SU-ALC
MSN:	6439
Year of manufacture:	1960
Total airframe hrs:	25592 hours
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 16 / Occupants: 16
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed, written off
Category:	Accident
Location:	7 km N of Tripoli International Airport (TIP) -   Libya
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	Algiers-Dar el Beida Airport (ALG/DAAG)
Destination airport:	Tripoli International Airport (TIP/HLLT)
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
The Comet, on a flight from Algiers, struck sand dunes at 395 feet while making an ADF approach procedure turn for runway 18.

PROBABLE CAUSE: The probable cause of the accident was the decision of the pilot-in-command to land while the prevailing visibility was below the Airline's minimum for that airport at night, and for undetermined reasons, the aircraft was lower than the altitude it ought to have been for an ADF approach to the runway in use.
The weather was a contributing factor.

ICAO Accident Digest Circular 118-AN/88 (131-138)

photo (c) Mel Lawrence; London-Heathrow Airport (LHR); August 1963

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