KSAMC Antonov AN-74 plane crash

The Antonov AN-74 had taken off from Sabaha in Libya and had been due to land three hours later at N'Djamena's international airport (Chad). The aircraft had been chartered to a foreign company to transport humanitarian aid.

Just before landing, air traffic control in N'Djamena noted that the aircraft was going into its approach at a high altitude. The plane aborted the landing and made a go-around. One can suppose there was a technical problem. But the crew did not mention any failure to the air traffic controllers. Pilots told the air control tower they were going to circle before attempting the landing again. A witness said the cargo plane's left wing appeared to be on fire as it passed overhead.

The cargo plane came down a few minutes later a few kilometres south of N'Djamena, in a marshy area of Kousseri (North Cameroon). The plane burst into flames on impact but nobody on the ground was hurt. It had come down in a dried-up riverbed in a deserted part of town.

All 6 crew members were killed. The main elements of the plane's cargo were found strewn around the wreckage: dozens of tins of meat and tomatoes, packets of tea and bottles of cooking oil.