Investigation Summary
The accident occurred at approximately 07:50 local time, just outside the perimeter of Boufarik Air Base. The flight was a routine military transport mission with a scheduled stopover at Boudghene Ben Ali Lotfi Airport in Béchar before its final destination in Tindouf. The passenger manifest included 247 passengers, primarily members of the Algerian People's National Army and their families. Among the victims were 52 French-Algerian dual nationals and 30 Sahrawi civilians, including students and refugees traveling for medical and bureaucratic reasons. Following the crash, the Algerian government declared three days of national mourning, while the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic declared seven days. The investigation was immediately launched by the Chief of Staff of the Algerian Army, with Russia offering technical assistance as the state of manufacture.
Final Conclusions
The investigation into the crash was ordered by Ahmed Gaid Salah, Chief of Staff of the Algerian Army, on the day of the accident. While witnesses reported a wing fire during the initial climb, no final official report detailing the definitive cause has been publicly released by the Algerian Ministry of Defence. The lack of public disclosure is consistent with Algerian military protocols regarding aviation accidents involving service assets.
Video Analysis
The Boufarik Algerian Plane Disaster... A Routine Flight That Ended in Tragedy — A documentary covering the 2018 Boufarik disaster involving an Algerian military Il-76, resulting in 257 fatalities.
If playback is blocked, the owner has disabled embedding — use the link above.
Airframe & Maintenance
Systems & Failure Modes
Ilyushin Il-76TD Engines
The aircraft is powered by four Aviadvigatel D-30KP turbofan engines; witnesses reported fire in the wing area during the initial climb.
Interesting Facts
- 01This is the deadliest air disaster to occur on Algerian soil.
- 02The aircraft was an Ilyushin Il-76TD produced by the Tashkent Aviation Production Association.
- 03The passenger list included 30 Sahrawi civilians from refugee camps in Tindouf traveling for medical and bureaucratic reasons.
- 04The aircraft first flew in 1994 and was operated by the 347th Strategic Transport Squadron.
- 05The crash site was located in an agricultural zone just outside the airport perimeter, avoiding a nearby highway.
Safety Actions & Advisories
National Mourning
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika declared three days of national mourning following the disaster.
Location
APPROXIMATE POSITION · AIRPORT LEVEL · Coordinates are the estimate published in the wikipedia geotag. The ring shows the accuracy the record supports, not the point of impact.