On November 5, 1943, a Short S.25 Sunderland (registration G-AGIB) operated by British Overseas Airways Corporation - BOAC was involved in an aviation accident near Tobruk, Libya in flight. 19 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: A high-intensity engine fire spread to the right wing, causing structural separation and loss of control during descent. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 3 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
An aircraft crashed into the desert southeast of Tobruk after a severe engine fire caused structural failure during an emergency descent, resulting in the deaths of all 19 people on board.
What happened
During a nighttime cruise over Libya under good weather conditions, a fire ignited in one of the right-side engines. The crew attempted to mitigate the situation by reducing altitude to perform an emergency landing in the desert. However, while descending, the aircraft lost control and crashed in flames approximately 150 km southeast of Tobruk. All 19 occupants were killed in the incident.
Findings
Official investigations determined that a high-intensity fire originated in one of the right engines. This fire rapidly spread to the right wing, causing it to separate from the airframe during the descent. The loss of the wing resulted in the aircraft becoming uncontrollable and crashing.
Probable cause
A high-intensity engine fire spread to the right wing, causing structural separation and loss of control during descent.
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