What happened
On July 24, a Swiftair MD-83, operating flight AH5017 on behalf of Air Algérie, disappeared during a scheduled flight from Ouagadougou to Algiers. The aircraft departed Ouagadougou at 0117Z and was expected to arrive in Algiers at 0510LT. The flight was carrying 110 passengers and a crew of 6, totaling 116 fatalities.
Following the disappearance, search efforts eventually located the wreckage approximately 50 km west of Gossi, Mali. The aircraft had disintegrated upon impact, leaving no survivors. Flight data recorders indicated that the aircraft began a left turn at 31,000 feet, which transitioned into a steep spiral toward the ground. The descent involved a 140-degree left bank and an 80-degree nose-down attitude, lasting less than three minutes. The final recorded data from the flight data recorder showed the aircraft at an altitude of 1,600 feet, traveling at 380 KIAS with a very high rate of descent.
Findings
Investigation into the flight path revealed that the region near Gao, Mali, was experiencing severe weather, including storms, turbulence, icing, and high winds up to 40,000 feet. While the aircraft was positioned west of the most intense weather, it failed to properly navigate around the turbulent area.