Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114

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Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114 was a regularly-scheduled flight from Tripoli to Cairo via Benghazi. At 10:30 on February 21, 1973, the 727-224 left Tripoli, but became lost due to a combination of bad weather and equipment failure over northern Egypt around 13:44 (1:44 P.M. local). Lost, it entered Israeli-controlled airspace over the Sinai Peninsula, was intercepted by two Israeli F-4 Phantom IIs and shot down while trying to re-enter Egyptian airspace after refusing to follow instructions issued by the Israeli pilots. There were 113 people on board, of those there were 5 survivors, including the co-pilot.

Account

The aircraft was piloted by a mostly French crew (captain and flight engineer; the co-pilot was Libyan) under a contractual arrangement between Air France and Libyan Arab Airlines. After a brief stop at Benghazi in eastern Libya, Flight 114 continued en route to Cairo with 113 people on board.

As the airliner cruised high over northern Egypt, a large sandstorm below forced the crew to completely rely on instrument navigation. Though the flight was on an IFR flight plan, good visibility allowed geographic features to be used as a visual backup of the aircraft's instruments. A short time later, around 13:44, the pilot began to suspect that he had made a navigational error because of a compass malfunction: he could not find an air traffic beacon, and could not ascertain the plane's current location. He did not report his worries to the Cairo air control tower. Instead, at 13:52 he received permission from Cairo to begin his descent. In fact, by now pushed by strong tailwinds, the aircraft had drifted east considerably, and was flying over the Suez canal. The previously Egyptian-held Sinai had been occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War.

That day Israel was technically in a state of war with Egypt, but the hostilities were suspended under a cease fire agreement. As a result Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) were on high alert should the cease fire be broken. At 13:54, Flight 114 entered airspace over the Sinai desert, cruising at 20,000 feet. Two minutes later, two Israeli Air Force F-4 fighters were scrambled to investigate and intercepted the airliner at 13:59. The fighter pilots made eye contact with the airliner's crew, and visually signaled them (with hand gestures) that they should follow the F-4s back to Refidim air base. The 727's crew responded by indicating they would not comply and were flying on. The fighter pilots tried one last time to make Flight 114 comply visually by dipping their wings to no avail.

Flight 114's perspective

The copilot, who survived, later said that the flight crew knew the Israeli jets wanted them to land but relations between Israel and Libya then made them decide against following instructions. The Libyan government stated that the attack occurred without warning despite what the copilot said.

Shot down

Israel's air force stated that Flight 114 was a security threat, and that they believed it may have been on a spy mission over the secret Israeli air base at Bir Gafgfa.

Aiming at the Boeing's wing tips in order to cripple, but not destroy Flight 114, short bursts with the F-4's gun were fired. The 20mm shells severely damaged control surfaces, hydraulic systems, and the wing structure itself. Flight 114 could no longer stay in the air, and was forced to attempt an emergency landing. in an area covered with sand dunes. The uneven terrain proved to be less than suitable for safe landing. When Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114 came to rest, 108 of the 113 passengers and crew were dead.

Aftermath

The Israeli government revealed that LN 114 had been shot down with the personal authorization of David Elazar, the Israeli Chief of Staff. Israel's argument was that given the heightened security situation and the erratic behavior of the jet's crew, the actions taken were prudent. The United Nations did not take any action against Israel. The 30 member nations of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) voted to censure Israel for the attack. The United States did not accept the reasoning given by Israel, and condemned the incident.

Similar cases

On April 20, 1978 Soviet Su-15 fighters intercepted and brought down Korean Air Lines Flight 902 near the Kola Peninsula. The pilots of the 707 also tried to escape when directed by the Soviet fighters to follow them for a landing at a nearby airbase.

In 1983 Soviets shot down Korean Airlines Flight 007 while the 747 on the route flew from Anchorage, Alaska to Seoul.

In 1988, US Naval Aegis Cruiser USS Vincennes shot down Iran Air Flight 655 over the Persian Gulf.

References

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Last updated on Tuesday February 19, 2008 at 05:00:05 PST (GMT -0800)
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