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1985 Air Mali Antonov An-24 crash

22 Feb 1985 · Near Timbuktu Airport, Timbuktu, Mali

Antonov An-24V · Crashed whilst returning to the airport following an engine failure on takeoff

From Gao International Airport (GAQ) to Mopti Airport (MZI)

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Event

Event typeAccident: someone killed or seriously injured, or the aircraft substantially damaged (NTSB definition). Incident: an occurrence that affected or could have affected safety, short of that. Glossary
Accident
Event fatalities
51 · all aircraft and ground
Ground fatalities
Unknown
Occupants
52
Survivors
1
InjuriesFatal: death within 30 days. Serious: over 48 hours in hospital within a week, most broken bones, severe bleeding, nerve or organ damage, or serious burns. Minor: anything less. Glossary
1
OperationWhat kind of flying it was, grouped by the rules it flew under: airline (US Part 121), air taxi and commuter (Part 135), general aviation (Part 91 and similar), military or government. Glossary
Airline

Antonov An-24V

Aircraft type
Antonov AN-24
Category
Airplane · from aircraft type
RegistrationThe aircraft's tail number, such as N12345 or G-ABCD. Registrations are reissued, so the same one years apart can be a different aircraft. Glossary
TZ-ACT
Operator
Air Mali
Onboard fatalities
51
Route
From Gao International Airport (GAQ)To Mopti Airport (MZI)

Approximate · Coordinates from the Wikipedia article; not checked against an investigation report.

From the Wikipedia article

On 22 February 1985, an Air Mali Antonov An-24V operating a domestic flight in Mali from to Gao International Airport, Gao, to Mopti Airport, Sévaré, crashed on takeoff from Timbuktu Airport, Timbuktu, where the flight had a stopover, after suffering from an engine failure in a sandstorm. Of the 52 occupants on board, 51 were killed, including Attaher Maïga, a former Malian member of parliament and minister, and 13 foreign nationals, most of whom of were United Nations humanitarian workers. The crash temporarily halted flights to Timbuktu.

Accident

The aircraft operated by Air Mali was scheduled to fly a domestic route in Mali from Gao International Airport to Mopti Airport, with an intermediate stopover at Timbuktu Airport. About two minutes after takeoff, the aircraft suffered an engine failure after the engine reportedly caught fire and exploded. The crew attempted to perform an emergency landing at the airport. However, the aircraft crashed in the Sahara about 2 km east of the runway. It burned down after two hours. There were 52 people on board, including 46 passengers and 6 crew members, with 51 of the occupants being killed. The sole survivor, a Malian citizen, was hospitalized in serious condition.

Text from the Wikipedia article “1985 Air Mali Antonov An-24 crash” (revision 1364066064, retrieved 2026-09-18) by its authors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Extracted as plain text: references, tables, images and some sections are left out. Read the article

Sources

Wikipedia article: 1985 Air Mali Antonov An-24 crash
Article
1985 Air Mali Antonov An-24 crash
Revision
1364066064 · 2026-07-14 · retrieved 2026-09-18
Wikidata
Q134937320
Licence
Text CC BY-SA 4.0, by the article's authors; Wikidata CC0; town positions GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
Where each value comes from
Record
Wikipedia article "1985 Air Mali Antonov An-24 crash" (page 80112991, revision 1364066064)
Date
Wikipedia infobox: date
Place and country
Wikipedia infobox: site
Map position
Wikipedia article coordinates
Aircraft, operator and route
Wikipedia infobox: aircraft type, registration, operator, origin and destination; route airports from the linked airport articles' Wikidata codes (OurAirports)
Operation
operator is an airline according to Wikidata
Fatalities
Wikipedia infobox: aircraft fatalities
Ground fatalities
not stated in the Wikipedia infobox
Summary
Wikipedia infobox: summary
Source notes (1)
  • Wikipedia · Facts from the Wikipedia article's infobox and coordinates, not checked against an investigation report. Independent review pending.