Incident Overview
On a delivery flight from Paris to Hanoi, an aircraft operated by Compagnie Autrex-Lopez-Loreta-Lebreton experienced a series of events leading to an accident at Beirut International Airport. The aircraft had departed Paris on 22 January 1954 at 0650Z, arriving at Brindisi the same day at 1305Z. The following day, it left Brindisi at 0720Z and landed at Nicosia at 1330Z. The intended next leg was to Basra, but a failure in the HF radio equipment necessitated a change in schedule. It was decided to proceed to Beirut, where specialists and spare parts for the repair were available.
Approach and Accident
During the final approach at night, the aircraft was flying too low. At a speed of 105 knots, it struck a mound of earth located 85 feet short of runway 36, damaging the right main landing gear. The aircraft subsequently landed on the runway, at which point the undercarriage collapsed.
Damage and Injuries
The aircraft sustained damage beyond repair. There were no injuries to any occupants.
Probable Cause
The official investigation attributed the accident to pilot error due to lack of knowledge of the terrain. The presence of the mound was considered an aggravating circumstance. The failure of the right landing gear may be explained by the excessive landing weight of the aircraft. The main cause was probably an unduly short landing, which, given the length of the runway and the perfect condition of the aircraft, was unwarranted. This was ascribed mainly to error on the part of the pilot, largely due to his lack of familiarity with the terrain; the pilot had never landed at Beirut International Airport. A faulty altimeter setting was possibly an additional reason for the defective approach. Restricted visibility prevented the pilot from seeing the mound and taking appropriate action. The mound's location at 26.60 meters from the runway entrance, with a height of 78 cm (a 3% variation in level), was a contributing factor.