Aviogenex accident near Libreville

The Aviogenex accident near Libreville occurred on 2 April 1977. On that day a Tupolev Tu-134A-1 with 8 occupants, which was operating an intercontinental charter cargo flight of the Yugoslav airline Aviogenex from Frankfurt Main Airport to Libreville Airport in Gabon, crashed. Shortly before landing the aircraft crashed after an unplanned ground contact, and all eight people on board the aircraft were killed.

Accident sequence

After a flight without any particular incidents, the crew of the Tu-134 approached Libreville Airport in good visibility. Shortly before the planned landing, the pilots noticed that the runway on which they intended to land was occupied. A Boeing 707 of another airline was backtracking on the runway. As it later turned out, the Boeing's crew had initially entered a taxiway. Since there was no possibility of turning with the aircraft, it was decided to change lanes. The air traffic controller did not warn the crew of the Tu-134 that the runway was occupied. The captain of the Tu-134 initiated a go-around. Under the difficult conditions caused by the rain continuously pelting the windscreen, the tension and fatigue of the crew after the long flight from Europe, and the unexpectedly necessary second approach, the captain made an error during the go-around: with a hasty movement of his hand he jerked the control column, causing the aircraft to swerve the next moment. In doing so it clipped a 60-metre-high baobab tree that had grown along the approach centreline and, because of its enormous height, was even marked on the Libreville approach charts. The aircraft then crashed, and all eight occupants were killed.