14 fatalities

Aircraft Crash in Hilly Terrain Near Tunis-Carthage Airport (SU-GBI)

Tunis-Carthage, TunisiaLanding (descent or approach)

On May 7, 2002, a Boeing 737-500 (registration SU-GBI) operated by Egyptair was involved in an aviation accident near Tunis-Carthage, Tunisia during landing or approach. 14 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The accident was due to the crew's failure to perform and control the final approach, specifically by failing to respect the approach fix associated with the decision to start the final approach prematurely. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 16 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary reportUpdated 2026-06-11Data APIEditorial standards
Aircraft registered SU-GBI
Aircraft registered SU-GBI. Photo: Aero Icarus from Zürich, Switzerland / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

An aircraft crashed in hilly terrain near Tunis-Carthage Airport after a VOR/DME approach in limited visibility, killing 14 people and injuring 48.

Flight Details and Approach Sequence The aircraft departed Cairo-Intl Airport at 1140LT on a regular schedule flight to Tunis-Carthage Airport, carrying 56 passengers and six crew members. It entered the Tunis FIR at 1450LT under the control of the Tunis Regional CCR. At 1500LT, the crew was transferred to approach control and cleared for a VOR/DME approach to runway 11. During the approach at 3,000 feet, the crew was informed they were number one for landing. The crew then reported departing 3,000 feet for 2,100 feet at 12 NM and was later cleared to land. Wind conditions were from 130 degrees at 30 knots. At 1516LT, on final approach, the crew was transferred from approach control to the tower and received a second clearance to land. In limited visibility, the aircraft struck a fence on the top of a mountain and crashed in hilly terrain 6.6 km from the runway 11 threshold. Three crew members and 11 passengers were killed, while 48 other people were injured. The passengers included 33 Egyptians, 16 Tunisians, three Algerians, three Jordanians, two Chinese, two British, one Libyan, one Saudi, and one Palestinian.

Probable cause

The accident was due to the crew's failure to perform and control the final approach, specifically by failing to respect the approach fix associated with the decision to start the final approach prematurely. Contributing factors included poor weather conditions with limited visibility, shortcomings in the training of both pilots regarding conventional VOR/DME approaches, and the relative weakness of the flight experience of both crew members on the type of aircraft operated.