What happened
On the day of the accident, an aircraft departed from Luqa Aerodrome in Malta, destined for Stansted, England. The flight had previously arrived at Malta at 10:46 local time. During the takeoff roll, the plane became airborne after covering approximately two-thirds of the runway length, at which point the landing gear was retracted.
Shortly after liftoff, black smoke was observed emitting from the number one engine. While Ground Control issued instructions for the aircraft to turn to the right (starboard), the plane instead drifted toward the left (port) side. The port wing experienced a steep descent, and at approximately 12:22–12:23 hours, the aircraft entered a nose-dive. The plane struck the cliffs near Zurrieq and exploded upon impact.
The accident resulted in 50 fatalities, involving the entire crew of 5 and all 45 passengers on board.
Findings
Investigations determined that the failure of the number one engine was a primary factor in the accident. However, the engine malfunction alone was not the sole reason for the crash. The investigation concluded that the disaster was driven by a loss of airspeed and subsequent loss of control resulting from a pilot error in judgment.