Date: | Monday 11 October 1999 |
Time: | 07:43 |
Type: | ATR 42-320 |
Owner/operator: | Air Botswana |
Registration: | A2-ABB |
MSN: | 101 |
Year of manufacture: | 1988 |
Engine model: | Pratt & Whitney Canada PW121 |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed, written off |
Category: | UI |
Location: | Gaborone-Sir Seretse Khama International Airport (GBE) -
Botswana
|
Phase: | Landing |
Nature: | Illegal Flight |
Departure airport: | Gaborone-Sir Seretse Khama International Airport (GBE/FBSK) |
Destination airport: | Gaborone-Sir Seretse Khama International Airport (GBE/FBSK) |
Confidence Rating: | Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
Narrative:An Air Botswana captain boarded a parked ATR-42 aircraft in the early morning and took off. The captain reported to the controller that he wanted to speak to the president, Air Botswana's general manager, the station commander, central police station and his girlfriend, among others. Because the president was out of the country, arrangements were being made for him to speak to the vice president. Attempts were made to persuade him to land and discuss his concerns with the relevant authorities, but he finally stated he was going to crash into some planes on the apron. After flying for about 2 hours he did two loops and then screamed at 200 knots into Air Botswana's two other ATR-42s parked on the apron.
Airline sources say the pilot had been grounded on medical reasons, refused reinstatement and regrounded until February 2000.
Air Botswana operations were crippled, as the airline only had one plane left - a BAe-146 which was grounded with technical problems.
Sources:
ICAO Adrep
Michel/Scramble
Mmegi/The Reporter
Location
Images:
photo (c) Andy Heape, via Peter Frei; August 1989
photo (c) via Werner Fischdick; Johannesburg International Airport (JNB); January 1999
photo (c) Miklos Szabo; Harare Airport (HRE); 06 April 1994
Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |