1993 Zambia national football team air disaster
A DHC-5D Buffalo similar to the accident aircraft
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| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 27 April 1993 |
| Summary | In-flight fire, pilot error |
| Site |
Atlantic Ocean off Gabon 0°37′05″N 9°18′46″E / 0.618135°N 9.312716°ECoordinates: 0°37′05″N 9°18′46″E / 0.618135°N 9.312716°E |
| Passengers | 25 |
| Crew | 5 |
| Fatalities | 30 (all) |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft type | de Havilland Canada DHC-5D Buffalo |
| Operator | Zambian Air Force |
| Registration | AF-319 |
| Flight origin | Lusaka, Zambia |
| 1st stopover | Brazzaville, Congo |
| 2nd stopover | Libreville, Gabon |
| Last stopover | Abidjan, Ivory Coast |
| Destination | Dakar, Senegal |
The 1993 Zambia national football team air disaster occurred in the late evening of 27 April 1993 when a Zambian Air Force de Havilland Canada DHC-5D Buffalo (registration AF-319) crashed into the Atlantic Ocean about 500 metres (550 yards) offshore from Libreville, Gabon. The flight was carrying most of the Zambian national football team to a FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Senegal in Dakar. All 25 passengers and five crew members were killed. A Gabonese official investigation into the accident concluded that the pilot had shut down the wrong engine after a fire. The investigation found that pilot fatigue and an instrument error had contributed to the accident. The accident is recreated in the 2014 Spanish/Zambian documentary film Eighteam, directed by Juan Rodriguez-Briso.
The flight had been specially arranged by the Zambian Air Force for the football team. The journey was scheduled to make three refuelling stops; the first at Brazzaville, Congo, the second at Libreville, Gabon, and the third at Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
At the first stop in Brazzaville engine problems were noted. Despite this, the flight continued and a few minutes after taking off from the second stop in Libreville the left engine caught fire and failed. The pilot, who had also flown the team from a match in Mauritius the previous day, then shut down the right engine, causing the plane to lose all power during the climb out of Libreville Airport and fall into the water 500 m (550 yd) offshore. A Gabonese report released in 2003 attributed the pilot's actions to a faulty warning light and fatigue on the part of the pilot.
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