Browsing Tag: Air Algerie

A Swiftair MD-83 similar to the aircraft that crashed in Mali today. Photo - Aero Icarus

A Swiftair MD-83 similar to the aircraft that crashed in Mali today. Photo – Aero Icarus | Flickr CC

According to the French Ministry of Defense Air Algerie flight AH5017, operated by Swiftair has crashed in Mali.

The MD-83  was flying from Ougadougou, Burkina Faso to Algiers carrying 110 passengers and six crew. Air navigation services lost contact with the aircraft at 9:55pm  ET. The last message received from the aircraft was a request to reroute around heavy rain storms at around 9:30pm ET.

The aircraft involved in the crash was one of two MD-83s that were on lease from Spanish charter-carrier Swiftair. The registration number was EC-LTV (c/n 53190 l/n 2148) and was built in June 1996. In August 2012 and then had some heavy maintenance at Porto Alegre, Brazil, before delivery to Swiftair in late 2012.  During 2013 it was leased to the UN in the Horn of Africa (operated by Swiftair).

The passengers were comprised of 50 people from France, 24 from Burkina Faso, eight Lebanese, six Algerians, five Canadians, four Germans, two from Luxembourg; one from Mali, one Cameroonian, one Belgian, one Ukrainian, one Romanian, one Swiss, one Nigerian, and one Egyptian.

Per the Telegraph; French DGCA (Directorate General for Civil Aviation) inspected the plane  a few days ago in Marseille and found no faults.

This is a developing story and will be updated with new information.

Composite image of an Air Algerie Boeing 737-700C - Image: Boeing

Composite image of an Air Algerie Boeing 737-700C – Image: Boeing

The Boeing 737-700C is an interesting aircraft. What makes it unique is its ability to convert from passengers to cargo depending on how the airline wants to use it. If you have heavy passenger flow during the summer, but more cargo during the winter, being able to convert between the two is quite helpful.

What also makes the 737-700C unique is that, like the Boeing Business Jet (BBJ), it has strengthened wings, different than the standard passenger 737-700. When in passenger configuration, the plane can hold 120-140 seats and fly 3,205nm. In an all-cargo set up, it can haul 40,000 pounds and fly 2,880nm.

The model was launched back in September 1997, when the US Naval Reserve ordered two and called them the C-40A Clipper. This was a big deal, since there had not been a convertible version of the 737 built from the Next Generation-version of the 737 at the time.

The US Navy currently operates 12 C-40As to move personnel and supplies around the world. Think of it as an airliner for the military.