Narrative:The Twin Otter left the oil fields at Hamada around 07:05 on a regular daily oilfield crew-change flight to Tripoli (TIP). Twelve employees of Arabian Gulf Oil Co/AGOCO and Halliburton Company were on board. Due to military activities in the area of the flight route, the crew were instructed to return to Hamada. In the meantime a thick morning mist had suddenly precipitated at Hamada. The crew circled the area for a while. While attempting to land, the plane contacted an asphalted pipeline bridge which was crossing just west of the main [concrete] runway, hit a wooden electrical pylon, came to rest and burnt.
He pilot had probably mistaken the bridge for the runway. Also, a DF beacon was located about half a mile offset westwards from the runway.
Classification:
VFR flight in IMC
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Ground
Sources:
» Patrick Conroy-Hargrave by e-mail 3-9-2006
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 Hamada al Hamra Airfield to Tripoli International Airport as the crow flies is 347 km (217 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few 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.