Contact lost with Algerian jet over Africa

ALGIERS: -- Air Algerie has lost contact with one of its passenger aircraft nearly an hour after takeoff from Burkina Faso on Thursday bound for Algiers.

"Air navigation services have lost contact with an Air Algerie plane Thursday flying from Ouagadougou to Algiers, 50 minutes after takeoff," Algeria's national airline said, cited by national news agency APS.

It said the company initiated an "emergency plan" in the search for flight AH5017, which flies the four-hour passenger route four times a week.

A company source told AFP that the missing aircraft was a DC-9

Full story: http://www.theage.com.au/world/contact-lost-with-algerian-jet-over-africa-20140724-zwls1.html


-- The Age 2014-07-24

News I saw said it was an airbus a320with 110 passengers and 6 crew, it also said the plane was owned by a Spanish company swift air and chartered...Can I believe the BBC news just yet as facts at the moment seem vague....Let's hope it's found sooner than later...Is it safe to fly anymore with what's going on in the world at the moment..

One report said MD83, another said A320.

In any case, my prayers for their safety.

A post in violation of fair use policy has been removed.

Seems it's gone...

http://www.rte.ie/news/2014/0724/632783-air-algerie/

Air Algerie Crash; Four Possible Theories

3:30pm UK, Thursday 24 July 2014 Sky News, Alistair Bunkall

What could have happened to Air Algerie's flight from Ouagadougou to Algiers? Here are four possible scenarios.

1. Plane ran out of fuel - being reported by some Algerian media. In my opinion unlikely. At only 50 minutes into a four-hour flight, this would be a dramatic miscalculation.

2. Shot down by rebels. Possible, but still in the unlikely category. The Federal Aviation Administration issued this yesterday: "The US agency banned all flights into the territory and airspace of Mali saying the security situation remains fragile."

3. Hijacked. Air Algerie flights have been hijacked on at least six occasions I can find, but there have been no reports of demands being made before the plane crashed.

4. Weather. A source tells me that air traffic control asked the aircraft to divert near the Algerian border because of bad weather and to avoid another aircraft. It is now clear that there was a storm over Mali but I assume it did not collide with the other aircraft otherwise we would have reports of a second missing plane.

Source: http://news.sky.com/story/1306771/air-algerie-crash-four-possible-theories

Algeria passenger plane wreckage found in Mali

(BBC) The wreck of a plane that disappeared with 116 people on board on a flight from Burkina Faso to Algiers has been found in Mali, officials say.

The Burkinabe army said the plane, operated by Algeria's national airline Air Algerie, had crashed about 50km (30 miles) from the Burkina Faso border.

Air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane early on Thursday after pilots reported severe storms.

The passengers included 51 French citizens.

The McDonnell Douglas MD-83 - Flight AH 5017 - had been chartered from Spanish airline Swiftair.

Full story: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-28475335


-- BBC 2014-07-25

Wow, it seems like planes are falling down everywhere

My thoughts and prayers with all the victims and families of the latest crashes.

Looking at the recent events, I think I will take the banana boat to travel home next month

Used to fly with Air Algerie quite often when working in Algeria back in the 80s and always found them a sort of nice friendly airline.London..Algiers..Oran..Constantine...Tamanrasset....

Remember on one occasion (during ramadam) the air stewardess asked me to change seats and sit at the back of the plane cause she knew I liked a beer or 2...and already got them on ice....great...yes of course..oui.merci...

So sad....RIP.....

I wonder how long before the conspiracy theorists are on, total maniacs

everytime you opened up tv forum you would often hear about bus crashes, now its plane crashes

my condolences to the families