Flight and Weather
The aircraft departed on a scheduled service from Tripoli to Kano carrying a crew of eight and ten passengers. The weather forecast indicated fine conditions en route with thunderstorms expected in the Kano area.
Navigation Difficulties
During the flight, the crew encountered problems with the Gyrosyn compass due to faulty use of the variation setting control. Standard methods to determine the aircraft's position proved inadequate. The captain incorrectly concluded that the Gyrosyn compass was correct and the P12 magnetic compass was unserviceable. He did not return to Tripoli when the P12 compass was deemed unreliable, contrary to company regulations. The crew also took astro shots on the wrong stars without realizing it.
Landing and Evacuation
With fuel nearly exhausted and over desert terrain, the crew executed a wheels-up landing in a wide depression characterized by shifting sand-dunes and surrounding rocky escarpments. During the landing, the port wing was torn off, and the remainder of the aircraft slewed to the left before coming to a standstill without breaking apart. No fire occurred, and all passengers and crew evacuated without difficulty.
Injuries and Fatalities
Six individuals sustained minor injuries. The copilot died five days later from exhaustion resulting from strain and heat exposure.
Probable Cause
According to the official investigation, the causes of the accident in chronological order were: faulty use by the navigator of the variation setting control on the CL2 Gyrosyn compass; faulty checking of compasses by incorrect astral bearing and without radio bearings; incorrect inference by the captain in pronouncing the CL2 Gyrosyn compass correct and the P12 magnetic compass unserviceable; the captain's failure to return to Tripoli when the P12 compass was regarded as unserviceable; the crew's inability to realize astro shots were taken on wrong stars; the crew's inability to determine the aircraft's position properly by standard methods after the VSC setting error was discovered; lack of decisive action by the captain once he knew he was lost; and ignorance on board of the assistance available at Atar airfield.