UTAGE Flight 141
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The aircraft involved in the crash while still operating as American Airlines
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| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 25 December 2003 |
| Summary | Failure to take off due to aircraft overload |
| Site | Cotonou Airport, Benin |
| Passengers | 163 |
| Crew | 10 |
| Fatalities | 151 |
| Injuries (non-fatal) | 24 ( including 2 on ground) |
| Survivors | 22 (initially 35) |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 727-223 |
| Operator | Union des Transports Aériens de Guinée (UTAGE) |
| Registration | 3X-GDO |
| Flight origin | Conakry International Airport, Conakry, Guinea |
| 2nd stopover | Cotonou Airport, Cotonou, Benin |
| 3rd stopover | Kufra Airport, Kufra, Libya |
| Last stopover | Rafic Hariri Int'l Airport, Beirut, Lebanon |
| Destination | Dubai International Airport, Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
UTAGE Flight 141 was a chartered international passenger flight operated by Guinean regional airlines Union des Transports Aériens de Guinée flying from Cotonou Airport in Benin's capital Cotonou to Kufra Airport in Kufra, Libya. On 25 December 2003 the aircraft crashed in the Bight of Benin, killing at least 144 people, most of them Lebanese. Shortly after the crash, 35 survivors were found by a search and rescue team. Some of them were pronounced dead upon reaching the hospital.
Flight 141 was flown by an ex-American Airlines Boeing 727-223, 3X-GDO. The airliner's route was Conakry International Airport – Cotonou Cadjehoun Airport – Kufra Airport – Beirut International Airport – Dubai International Airport. The final report, which was published by France's Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile, concluded that the crash occurred due to airplane overload, as the plane's actual weight has exceeded its maximum weight capacity, thus decreasing its performance, especially when taking-off. Flight 141 did take off, but because it took for it too long to take off, the plane hit a localizer building and plunged to the ocean. The report also blamed the airport's lack of facilities.
This was the 100th aviation accident involving the Boeing 727. Currently, it is held as the deadliest plane crash in Benin's aviation history and the 11th worst accident involving the Boeing 727.
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