Air Mauritanie Flight 625
1994 aviation accident
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Air Mauritanie Flight 625 was a Fokker F28 Fellowship 4000 which crashed on landing at Tidjikja Airport, Mauritania on 1 July 1994 in sandstorm conditions. All four crew and 76 of the 89 passengers were killed in the crash. It remains the deadliest crash involving a Fokker 28 and the deadliest one in Mauritania.[1][2]
5T-CLF, the aircraft involved in the accident, photographed in April 1991 | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 1 July 1994 |
| Summary | Runway excursion, aggravated by sandstorm |
| Site | |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Fokker F28 Fellowship |
| Operator | Air Mauritanie |
| IATA flight No. | MR625 |
| ICAO flight No. | MRT625 |
| Call sign | MIKE ROMEO 625 |
| Registration | 5T-CLF |
| Flight origin | Nouakchott International Airport, Mauritania |
| Destination | Tidjikja Airport, Mauritania |
| Occupants | 93 |
| Passengers | 89 |
| Crew | 4 |
| Fatalities | 80 |
| Survivors | 13 |
Accident
| Nationality | Crew | Passengers | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mauritania | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Mauritania/France | 0 | 89 | 89 |
| Total | 4 | 89 | 93 |
The aircraft was flying from Nouakchott to Tidjikja. On board were 89 Mauritanian-French nationals returning to see their family and 4 crew members. The landing was performed in a sandstorm. The F28 had made several approaches to the airport before making a heavy landing, which caused the front undercarriage to collapse and the aircraft to slide off the runway, crash into a rocky outcrop and burst into flames.[1][3] Only 13 passengers survived, all seriously injured,[4] while all four crew members and the remaining 76 passengers died.[1][3] The crash was the second involving a Fokker aircraft in West Africa in less than a week following the crash of Air Ivoire Flight 777 on 26 June.[5][6] It also remains the deadliest aviation accident in Mauritania.[7][8]
Aftermath
In the initial aftermath, the Mauritanian News Agency (AMP) said that the exact number of casualties was not directly known.[5]
Fokker announced that its team of experts would be kept available for an investigation should the Mauritanian authorities request one.[9]
According to zahraainfo.com, Mauritanian radio stations refused to cover or broadcast news about the crash with authorities refusing to declare a period of mourning, in addition to no follow up being provided by the Mauritanian Ministry of Transport.[10] The airport reportedly lacked "the most basic" air safety requirements.[10][11]