Accident Overview
On 14 March 1972, Sterling Airways Flight 296, a charter flight from Colombo to Copenhagen with scheduled stops in Bombay, Dubai, and Ankara, crashed into a mountain ridge near Al Hail in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, while on approach to Dubai. The aircraft, a Sud Aviation Caravelle registered OY-STL, was destroyed by impact and fire. All 112 passengers and crew members perished.
Investigation Findings
Investigators determined that the accident was caused by pilot error. No further causal factors were specified in the official findings.
Aftermath
The crash remains the deadliest air disaster involving the Sud Aviation Caravelle and, alongside Gulf Air Flight 771 (which also claimed 112 lives), the deadliest aviation accident in the history of the United Arab Emirates.