What happened
A scheduled international passenger service flying from Dhahran toward a multi-stop route including London was conducting an approach to Cairo when the accident occurred. After departing Dhahran without any reported mechanical issues, the Boeing 707 tracked its progress through various waypoints, eventually approaching the Cairo area.
During the arrival phase, the crew was instructed to perform a holding pattern at the Cairo range station before joining the left-hand circuit for runway 34. The flight crew notified air traffic control of their intention to execute an instrument let-down and requested clearance to proceed downwind. As the aircraft moved toward a southerly heading to establish its downwind position, Cairo approach control cleared the flight to descend to circuit height and instructed them to switch to the tower frequency.
At approximately 23:45, the crew confirmed they were in position for the downwind leg of runway 34. After receiving weather updates and being asked if they were turning onto final approach, the crew acknowledged the instructions at 23:48:30. However, at 23:48:55, communication was lost following a brief scratching noise on the tower receiver. The impact resulted in the total destruction of the aircraft. There were 127 fatalities and 6 survivors.
Findings
Investigations concluded that the Boeing 707 failed to maintain the required altitude for the circuit pattern. The aircraft continued an uncontrolled descent until it struck the ground, though the specific reason for this unexpected loss of altitude remained undetermined.