1999 Air Botswana ATR 42 crash
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ATR-42 similar to the one involved | |
| Occurrence | |
|---|---|
| Date | 11 October 1999 |
| Summary | Aircraft theft and suicide by pilot |
| Site | Sir Seretse Khama International Airport, Gaborone, Botswana 24°33′25″S 25°55′19″E / 24.557°S 25.922°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | ATR 42-320 |
| Operator | Air Botswana |
| Registration | A2-ABB |
| Occupants | 1 |
| Passengers | 0 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Fatalities | 1 (pilot) |
| Survivors | 0 |
The 1999 Air Botswana incident occurred when Chris Phatswe, a Botswana
pilot, killed himself by crashing a plane into the airport apron and a group of aircraft at Sir Seretse Khama International Airport in Gaborone, Botswana. He was the only casualty. His actions effectively crippled operations for Air Botswana for several years.[1]
Incident
On 11 October 1999, Phatswe commandeered an
Phatswe threatened to crash it into an Air Botswana building, saying he had a grudge against the airline's management. He demanded to speak tovice-president, but when officials in the control tower told Phatswe that there were people in the Air Botswana building, he changed his mind. Shortly after being put through to Khama, the ATR-42 began to run out of fuel, so Phatswe carried out a successful landing, but instead of surrendering to airport security, he proceeded to taxi towards the apron at high speed, slamming the stolen plane into two other ATR-42s on the ramp. All three planes were destroyed in a fiery crash, and Phatswe was killed. He was the only casualty.[1]
The three planes were the only operational craft then in the Air Botswana fleet; a fourth plane, a
BAe-146, was grounded with technical trouble at the time. Consequently, Phatswe's actions effectively crippled operations for the flag carrier.[1][2]
Motives
Phatswe had repeatedly threatened airport authorities, telling them that he would kill himself, but never gave a reason. At the time of the incident he was on medical leave from the airline, having failed a physical two months previously and been declared unfit to fly; consequently, he was not authorized to take the plane. Airport security was reported to be lax, and it was said to be quite easy for somebody to steal an aircraft.[1]
See also
- 1977 Connellan air disaster - suicide attack by a disgruntled former airline employee using a stolen aircraft
- 2018 Horizon Air Q400 incident - Aircraft theft and suicide crash by a ground employee of Horizon Air
- Accidents and incidents involving the ATR 42 family
- List of accidents and incidents involving airliners by location § Botswana
- List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft
References
- ^ a b c d e "Suicide pilot destroys Air Botswana fleet". BBC Online. 11 October 1999. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
- ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident ATR 42-320 A2-ABB Gaborone-Sir Seretse Khama International Airport (GBE)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2019-10-28.