Afriqiyah A330 crashes on approach to Tripoli, killing 103

By Harry Stoffer | May 13, 2010

A nearly new A330-200 operated by Afriqiyah Airways crashed on final approach to Tripoli early Wednesday, killing 103 of the 104 people aboard, including 11 crewmembers.

The accident was the deadliest so far in 2010. A boy from the Netherlands reportedly was the lone survivor. The crash occurred as Flight 8U771, en route from Johannesburg, was attempting to land at Tripoli International at about 6 a.m. local time. All but 11 of the passengers were continuing onward to European destinations, according to a statement from the airline.

Airbus said in a statement that the GE CF6-80E1-powered aircraft was completed last September and had logged 1,600 hr. in about 420 flights. The manufacturer dispatched technical advisers to support investigators and EASA offered assistance as well.

Libya founded Afriqiyah in 2001. It started with five leased aircraft and made a deal with Airbus in 2007 for the purchase of 11 new planes, with an option for four more, according to the airline's website. It had not had a reported crash before Wednesday.

Flight Safety Foundation's Aviation Safety Network reported that winds were calm and visibility good early Wednesday at Tripoli, but the Wall Street Journal quoted Afriqiyah Chairman Sabri Saad Shadi as saying there was fog.Libyan Transport Minister Mohamed Zidan ruled out terrorism as a cause, Reuters reported. Reports from the scene indicated that only the A330's tail was intact after the crash.

Discuss this news 15

13 May03:39

First of all my deepest

By Russell

First of all my deepest condolences to the families of the deceased, the majority being Dutch nationals.
Nobody from the authorities mentioned anything about the cockpit crew & their experience, training etc etc.
also nobody mentioned reports sent/received from the ATC
I am sure the black boxes & voice recorders will throw light on this sad event
May this be the last crash of the A330 and any other aircraft

13 May03:50

..the plane just exploded in

By Anonymous

..the plane just exploded in the air...no need to vrify the experiens of the pilots..is irelevent...

13 May04:24

according to the

By Anonymous

according to the newsbroadcast in the Netherlands, the pilot would have indicated that there were problems with the aircraft just prior to the accident.

13 May05:42

We all want to know what

By Jim

We all want to know what happened. Don't let the rush to judgment interfere with the actual investigation. It will take time to do a thorough and proper investigation. When that is complete, we'll know exactly what happened. My heart goes out to the friend and family of those who perished in the accident. Keep them in your prayers...

13 May06:38

This accident must be

By Anonymous

This accident must be investigated throughly to prevent such accident involving over 100 pax & anew aircraft.

13 May07:31

It is with great sorrow that

By BARIN

It is with great sorrow that we learned of the tragic event on 12 May with the Airbus A330 aircraft of Afriqiyah Airways near Tripoli, which resulted in the loss of so many lives
We offer our sincere condolences and sentiments to our fellow BARIN member Afriqiyah, their staff and the next of kin of those, the majority being Dutch nationals, who passed away. We wish all concerned the strength to recover from this tragedy and please rest assured that our thoughts are with them.
BARIN-Board of Airline Representatives In the Netherlands

13 May07:40

No doubt, we all want to

By MAR

No doubt, we all want to know. However, it is another A330...In memoriam of those who perished not only in this crash, we need to understand what happened and make it clear. ACFT? Pilots? External factor? We cannot accept another A330 no explanation.

13 May09:48

As an aviation safety teacher

By Peter

As an aviation safety teacher I am always curious about accidents but I've learned to be patient and wait. Now the most important is to take care of the families and pray for them.

13 May09:56

As an International Air

By Mike

As an International Air Courier I will be avoiding the A330-200 and 300 along with the A340 200 and 300 untile we get a satisfactory answer to both The AF crash of last year and the most unfortunate incident yesterday in Libya.

13 May11:22

Something makes me think

By Richard

Something makes me think Mike's post [13 May 09:56] rings true. I'm very suspicious of this A330 plane. I cannot wait another 2 years to know why they seem to be inclined to crash for no apparent reason [think of the Qantas A330 taking a nose-dive, the Emirates one causing some 20 odd people to suffer injuries, the Delta A330 that experienced unexplained tendencies to fly unusually contrary to input data and the AF447 ... the list goes on].

13 May14:15

add to the list the A300.

By Jose

add to the list the A300. Remeber the JFK crash of the American Airlines A300 over Jamaica NY, although blamed on the pilots, since they re dead, you can read between the lines and realize theres a problem with the tail fin on the A300 a330 family, both those models use the same tail. the tail has a tendency to rip off during flight, especially during turbulent air.

13 May16:11

I work for an airline with

By Anonymous

I work for an airline with many 330's and have had no incidents. Please wait for the results from the investigation before blaming the aircraft itself.

13 May19:58

It did not explode in the

By Anonymous

It did not explode in the air,, it exploded as soon as it impacted the ground,, get your facts straight.

13 May22:19

i can say frm what i have

By samir erian

i can say frm what i have seen on t.v.beside the tail problem,there is something wrong with the loading and the ldsht!!
the a/c was too heavy at te rear part

13 May22:19

i can say frm what i have

By samir erian

i can say frm what i have seen on t.v.beside the tail problem,there is something wrong with the loading and the ldsht!!
the a/c was too heavy at te rear part