Investigation Summary
The flight was operating a cargo service from Algiers to Frankfurt with a load of 3,696 pounds. During the cruise at 24,000 feet, the crew discussed weather conditions and potential icing while navigating toward the ABESI waypoint. At 18:14 UTC, the co-pilot reported that the autopilot system was inefficient. Data later indicated that the autopilot failure light illuminated, and the system disengaged twelve seconds later. The aircraft then entered a violent upset, losing altitude rapidly while the acoustic overspeed warning sounded in the cockpit. During the descent, at approximately 13,500 feet, the pilot reported an engine loss of power to Milan air traffic control before contact was lost. However, investigators concluded this was likely a symptom of the extreme dive or a crew misperception during the high-stress upset, as the engines were not found to be the primary cause of the accident. The descent was extremely steep, with the aircraft impacting the ground just 73 seconds after the initial failure light. The impact occurred at a speed between 460 and 485 knots at an angle of 45 to 50 degrees, creating a crater 50 meters long. Debris from the tail section was found scattered, with the rudder located 1,200 meters and the elevator 3,000 meters ahead of the main impact site, indicating significant structural stress during the final moments of the dive.
Final Conclusions
The investigation by the National Agency for the Safety of Flight (ANSV) concluded that the accident resulted from a sudden loss of control induced by a technical problem in the flight control system. The specific nature of the failure could not be determined with absolute certainty due to the high state of wreckage fragmentation and the limitations of the aircraft's first-generation flight data recorder, which did not meet modern ICAO standards. The final report was released in July 2020, approximately 14 years after the accident.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Airframe & Maintenance
Crew Experience
Captain
Mohamed Abdou, age 43. Promoted to Captain in April 2005.
First Officer
Mohamed Tayeb Bederina, age 58.
Flight Engineer
Mustafa Kadid, age 51.
Systems & Failure Modes
Autopilot
The system failed during cruise, leading to a loss of directional and longitudinal control that the crew could not recover.
Flight Data Recorder (FDR)
An obsolete 1960s-era recorder that provided limited data, hindering the investigation's ability to identify the specific mechanical cause.
Flight Control System
Investigators believe a technical problem within this system, possibly related to the rudder or elevator, induced the sudden dive.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was 25 years old at the time of the accident.
- 02The impact created a crater 50 meters long and 15 meters wide.
- 03The upper portion of the rudder was found 1,200 meters ahead of the impact point, while parts of the elevator were found 3,000 meters away.
- 04The flight data recorder was a first-generation model from the 1960s, which was not in compliance with contemporary ICAO regulations.
- 05The aircraft narrowly missed the highly populated residential areas of Piacenza.
Safety Actions & Advisories
FDR Modernization
The ANSV urged the Algerian Civil Aviation Authority to replace older, non-compliant flight data recorders with modern units across their fleet.
Known Controversies & Unanswered Questions
Investigation Duration
Reference ↗The final accident report by the ANSV was not released until July 2020, nearly 14 years after the crash. This significant delay was attributed to the extreme fragmentation of the wreckage and the difficulties in extracting data from an obsolete, non-compliant flight data recorder.