What happened
A scheduled monthly flight traveling from Bamako toward Saudi Arabia was operating en route to Kano when air traffic control notified the crew of worsening meteorological conditions. To avoid the storm, the pilots were instructed to divert their flight path to Niamey.
During this diversion, the aircraft encountered marginal weather conditions which led to a loss of situational awareness. Due to a likely navigational error, the plane drifted westward. The crew eventually realized they were over the Ouagadougou region, approximately 400 km southwest of their intended diversion airport. As the aircraft reached a critical level of fuel depletion, an emergency landing was attempted. The plane subsequently crashed in an open field in Linoghin, situated roughly 40 km east of Ouagadougou.
The accident resulted in 47 fatalities and left two crew members and 11 passengers injured.