What happened
Shortly after departing from Abidjan-Port-Bouet Airport, the crew of the Air Afrique aircraft, while cruising over the Atlantic Ocean, received a fire alarm notification for engine number one. Due to an observation of abnormally high fuel temperatures, the decision was made to deactivate the affected engine. The captain subsequently declared an emergency, and the flight was authorized to return to the airport.
During the approach phase, although cleared for runway 03, the pilot opted to utilize runway 21 to take advantage of the available ILS system. While performing a back circuit under night conditions with relatively clear visibility, the aircraft passed the Abidjan VOR. As the pilot-in-command began a left turn, a stall warning was triggered. The aircraft type entered a left bank while configured with the landing gear and flaps retracted, leading to a stall and subsequent impact in the Akakro forest, situated approximately 10 km northeast of Abidjan near Bingerville. The accident resulted in 50 fatalities and one serious injury.
Findings
Investigations revealed that a fire alarm for engine number one had also been triggered during a previous flight leg from Rio to Abidjan. Although technicians at Air Afrique had inspected the system and concluded the previous alert was a false alarm, the issue persisted. The crash was ultimately caused by spatial disorientation of the pilot-in-command during a left turn executed on a moonless night without visual ground references.