1969 Aswan Ilyushin Il-18 crash

On 20 March 1969, a United Arab Airlines Ilyushin Il-18 crashed while attempting to land at Aswan Airport. 100 of the 105 passengers and crew on board were killed in the crash.

1969 Aswan Ilyushin Il-18 crash

An Ilyushin Il-18 similar to the accident aircraft.
Accident
Date	20 March 1969
Summary	Pilot error in low visibility and poor weather
Site	Aswan International Airport 23.958°N 32.820°E / 23.958; 32.820
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Ilyushin Il-18D
Operator	United Arab Airlines
Registration	SU-APC
Flight origin	King Abdullah Air Base
Destination	Aswan International Airport
Passengers	98
Crew	7
Fatalities	100
Injuries	5
Survivors	5

The crash

The flight was a non-scheduled international passenger service from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Aswan, Egypt. The aircraft was carrying home Muslim worshippers who had won a pilgrimage through a lottery.^[1] It was dark in the early morning when the flight attempted to land and blowing sand had reduced visibility to 2–3 kilometers. After two unsuccessful attempts to land, the aircraft was making a third try when it banked to the right and hit the left side of the runway. The starboard wing tore off and a fuel spillage followed which caused the crashed aircraft to burst into flames.^[2]

Cause

The probable cause was determined to be that the "Pilot descended below the minimum safe altitude without having the runway lights clearly in sight. A contributory factor was fatigue arising from continuous working hours without suitable rest periods."^[3][4]