Massive Plane Crash in Algeria

[Eric Mc]

Not seen any threads in here or in the News section on this accident. The largest death toll in an air crash for a few years occurred today. 257 confirmed dead in the crash of an Algerian Air Force Ilyushin Il-76. 257 seems an awful lot for an Il-76.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-43724941

[eccles]

Doesn't seem to have even made the news this morning either.

[Welshbeef]

It was the 5th top story yesterday in the Telegraph.

257 dead

Apparently Western media now don’t really report much on such things only if it’s one of their own. A very sad state of affairs.

[irocfan]

it was on the BBC news yesterday. I do take Welsh's observation onboard but 'twas ever thus WRT to non-Western deaths

[Tony1963]

I'm sure any of us who have lived abroad know that the reverse is true.

However, the BBC gave quite extensive coverage to this incident yesterday, with footage from the scene and interviews with people in authority.

[Eric Mc]

I'm more interested in what might have happened rather than a debate on the BBC and how they covered the news. Apparently there was an engine fire.

Would 257 on board constitute overloading for an Il-76?.

[andy_s]

I'm in Algeria at the moment; unofficial eye-witness reports (with obligatory pinch of salt) say there was a fire/smoke from one of the engines at take-off, another report of the plane being 'over-charged' from some relatives of victims [this may be as is, i.e. 257 - or other rumours have it up to 300 were aboard].

The Western Saharans were being lifted back after being treated in the northern military hospital, it's unclear if their Polisario but there's no intimation of foul play.

It's an ageing fleet for sure, and from memory there have been about 3-4 air accidents over the past ten years or so and after flying with Air Algerie in the nineties, it's not beyond imagination that maintenance was not quite up to scratch.

But, like all these things, we're still at the conjecture stage really and with Algeria the information/enquiry and subsequent 'lessons learnt' may be shrouded if there's a hint of systemic or other fault that 'besmirches' the good name of the country. I can see a few generals getting the sack as this suits Boutiflika anyway, whether there's actual fault or not, 'pour encourager les autres'....

[aeropilot]

Eric Mc said:

Would 257 on board constitute overloading for an Il-76?.

By most accounts, yes.

The Il-76 does have a mezzanine type double deck arrangement that can be slid in and out to increase capacity from a normal 140 troops, up to 225.



So, on that basis, 247 (minus the 10 crew) would still seem to be more people than seats, but given the double deck arrangement can accommodate 225 fully equipped troops, its likely that an extra 25 people wouldn't weight more that than the total weight of weapons and equipment of 225 troops, so doesn't mean the a/c was overloaded in weight terms..........depends on how much baggage and kit was being carried for the 247...??

[Eric Mc]

It seemed an awfully large amount of people to me for an Il-76.

There have been incidents in the past of military transport aircraft being stuffed full of people - often in evacuation scenarios.

[Boatbuoy]

aeropilot said:

The Il-76 does have a mezzanine type double deck arrangement that can be slid in and out to increase capacity from a normal 140 troops, up to 225.

For goodness sake, don't let Michael O'leary see that!