What happened
A flight scheduled to travel from London-Gatwick to Aden, with planned stops in Nice and Karima, encountered mechanical difficulties during its journey. The mission involved delivering the aircraft to Alyemda in Aden.
During the initial leg between Gatwick and Nice, the crew encountered technical issues that necessitated a diversion to Toulon. During this stop, maintenance was performed on the left engine, specifically involving the replacement of the carburetor and spark plugs.
While operating near Karima, the right engine experienced a surge in cylinder head temperature and oil pressure beyond safe operational limits, which subsequently led to a propeller overspeed. Shortly after the crew feathered the propeller, the left engine experienced a backfire. Faced with these escalating failures, the captain executed a belly landing in a desert area located approximately 11 km northeast of Karima. Although both pilots survived the impact without injury, the aircraft was destroyed following a post-crash fire.
Findings
Investigations concluded that the accident was driven by engine malfunctions characterized by excessive oil pressure and elevated cylinder head temperatures.