Narrative:
Middle East Airlines flight 438 was a scheduled passenger service that was supposed to departed Beirut Airport, Lebanon on December 31, 1975, bound for Dubai and Muscat.
The Boeing 747 that was planned to operate the flight suffered an engine problem. The flight was delayed and a Boeing 720 was prepared to replace the 747. The flight took off from Beirut Airport at 02:10 hours local time on January 1, 1976.
The aircraft was en route over the Saudi desert at FL370 when radar and radio contact was lost. It was found to have crashed near Al Qaysumah, killing all 81 on board.
An investigation revealed that a bomb had exploded in the forward baggage compartment.
Loss of control
» Ottawa Citizen - Feb 13, 1976
» Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Jan 2, 1976
accident date: 01-01-1976
type: Boeing 720-023B
registration: OD-AFT
| Status: | |
| Date: | Thursday 1 January 1976 |
| Time: | 05:30 |
| Type: |  Boeing 720-023B |
| Operator: | Middle East Airlines - MEA |
| Registration: | OD-AFT |
| MSN: | 18020/165 |
| First flight: | 1960-09-23 (15 years 3 months) |
| Engines: | 4 Pratt & Whitney JT3D-1-MC7 |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 15 / Occupants: 15 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 66 / Occupants: 66 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 81 / Occupants: 81 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Aircraft fate: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | 37 km (23.1 mls) NW of Al Qaysumah ( Saudi Arabia)
|
| Phase: | En route (ENR) |
| Nature: | International Scheduled Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Beirut International Airport (BEY/OLBA), Lebanon |
| Dubai Airport (DXB/OMDB), United Arab Emirates | |
| Flightnumber: | ME438 |
Middle East Airlines flight 438 was a scheduled passenger service that was supposed to departed Beirut Airport, Lebanon on December 31, 1975, bound for Dubai and Muscat.
The Boeing 747 that was planned to operate the flight suffered an engine problem. The flight was delayed and a Boeing 720 was prepared to replace the 747. The flight took off from Beirut Airport at 02:10 hours local time on January 1, 1976.
The aircraft was en route over the Saudi desert at FL370 when radar and radio contact was lost. It was found to have crashed near Al Qaysumah, killing all 81 on board.
An investigation revealed that a bomb had exploded in the forward baggage compartment.
Classification:
SabotageLoss of control
Sources:
» Aircraft hijackings and other criminal acts against civil aviation : statistics and narrative reports / FAA» Ottawa Citizen - Feb 13, 1976
» Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Jan 2, 1976
Photos
accident date: 01-01-1976
type: Boeing 720-023B
registration: OD-AFT
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 Beirut International Airport to Dubai Airport as the crow flies is 2127 km (1329 miles).
Accident location: Global; accuracy within tens or hundreds of kilometers.
Distance from Beirut International Airport to Dubai Airport as the crow flies is 2127 km (1329 miles).
Accident location: Global; accuracy within tens or hundreds of kilometers.
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.
languages: 
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