Libya Plane Crash Kills 105, Dutch Child Survives

Libya Plane Crash Kills 105, Dutch Child Survives

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - A Libyan Airbus crashed when trying to land at Tripoli airport early on Wednesday, killing 103 passengers and crew aboard, but a Dutch child survived, Libyan officials said.

Libya's Afriqiyah airline said it operated the plane, which was flying from Johannesburg in South Africa to Tripoli. Planemaker Airbus said the jet was an A330-200 and the firm would help authorities with their investigation.

"All of the passengers and crew died except for one child," a Libyan security source told Reuters at Tripoli airport. "There were 93 passengers and 11 crew on board."

Libya's Transport Minister Mohamed Zidan said the 10-year-old child, who holds a Dutch passport, was in hospital.

The child did not have life-threatening injuries, the minister told a news conference near the crash site.

http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/wireStory?id=10622161

pilot error?

An Afriqiyah Airways Airbus A330-200, registration 5A-ONG performing flight 8U-771 from Johannesburg (South Africa) to Tripoli (Libya) with 93 passengers and 11 crew, was on approach to Tripoli's runway 09 when it crashed short of the runway at approximately 06:10L (04:10Z). The airplane was completely destroyed, no post impact fires occured.

Tripoli International Airport has no instrument landing system, runway 09 has non-precision VOR and NDB approaches available. The VOR signal however may have been unreliable according to NOTAMs.

It may be a pilot error, but Tripoli is antiquated - not up with the technology.

since a little (ok; LARGE) investment in the airport infrastructure could have prevented this...

Pilot comes in a little too low on approach or hits a sudden tail wind and the plane can't power out of the situation quickly enough.