1985 Air Mali Antonov An-24 crash

Events April 2026 August 2025 August 2025 1985 aviation accident in Mali June 2025 1985 Air Mali Antonov An-24 crash TZ-ACT Aircraft.jpg TZ-ACT, the aircraft involved in the accident, pictured in 1972 Accident 1985 02 22 y Crashed whilst returning to the airport following an engine failure on takeoff Near Timbuktu Airport, Timbuktu, Mali 16 44 32 N 2 58 56 W type:event_region:CA inline,title Antonov An-24V Air Mali TZ-ACT Gao International Airport, Gao, Mali Timbuktu Airport, Timbuktu, Mali Mopti Airport, Sévaré, Mali 52 46 6 51 1 1 On 22 February 1985, an Air Mali Antonov An-24V operating a domestic flight in Mali from to Gao International Airport, Gao, to Mopti Airport, Sévaré, crashed on takeoff from Timbuktu Airport, Timbuktu, where the flight had a stopover, after suffering from an engine failure in a sandstorm. Of the 52 occupants on board, 51 were killed, including Attaher Maïga, a former Malian member of parliament and minister, and 13 foreign nationals, most of whom of were United Nations humanitarian workers.https://asn.flightsafety.org/wikibase/327255 Accident Antonov An-24V TZ-ACT Friday 22 February 1985 Aviation Safety Network June 1, 2025 The crash temporarily halted flights to Timbuktu. Aircraft The aircraft involved was an Antonov An-24V registered as TZ-ACT with MSN: 87304104. It was manufactured in 1968 in the Soviet Union. It had Ivchenko AI-24 engines. Accident The aircraft operated by Air Mali was scheduled to fly a domestic route in Mali from Gao International Airport to Mopti Airport, with an intermediate stopover at Timbuktu Airport. About two minutes after takeoff, the aircraft suffered an engine failure after the engine reportedly caught fire and exploded. The crew attempted to perform an emergency landing at the airport. However, the aircraft crashed in the Sahara about 2 km mi east of the runway. It burned down after two hours. There were 52 people on board, including 46 passengers and 6 crew members, with 51 of the occupants being killed. The sole survivor, a Malian citizen, was hospitalized in serious condition.https://www.upi.com/Archives/1985/02/22/An-Air-Mali-passenger-plane-caught-fire-over-the/3049477896400/ An Air Mali passenger plane caught fire over the... United Press International UPI February 22, 1985 June 1, 2025 https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-02-23-mn-1059-story.html 50 of 51 Die as Plane Crashes Near Timbuktu Los Angeles Times February 23, 1985 June 1, 2025 https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=KBPERS01:003026022:mpeg21:a00179 Vliegramp bij Timboektoe: 50 doden Timbuktu plane crash: 50 dead Algemeen Dagblad 23 February 1985 June 1, 2025 Delpher nl Victims + Nationality Count Algeria 1 Belgium 1 France 1 Italy 1 France 1 Mali 39 Netherlands 3 United States 3Total (8 nationalities)52 Of the 51 victims of the crash, 38 were Malian and 13 were from other countries. Of the 13 foreign passengers, which included three Americans, three Dutch, a Belgian, an Italian, a French and an Algerian, most were workers of United Nations humanitarian programmes active in the area, such as the United Nations Development Programme.https://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/24/world/mali-airline-says-3-americans-died-in-crash-near-timbuktu.html Mali Airline Says 3 Americans Died in Crash Near Timbuktu The New York Times Reuters February 24, 1985 June 1, 2025 The three Dutch people were first named to be people of the United Nations:https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ABCDDD:010820090 Vilegramp Mali kost leven aan 3 Nederlanders Mali plane crash claims the lives of 3 Dutch people Trouw 25 February 1985 Delpher 26 August 2025 nl two business people and a volunteer of the UNICEF programm.https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=KBPERS01:003026023:mpeg21:a00030 Slachtoffers vliegramp geïndentificeerd Plane crash victims identified Algemeen Dagblad 25 February 1985 Delpher 26 August 2025 nl Former Malian politician Attaher Maïga was killed in the crash. He was a member of parliament in the late 1950s and later served as finance minister and afterwards as trade minister. He served under the presidency of Modibo Keïta.https://naisteleht-digi.ohtuleht.ee/915133/mali-esileedi-presidendi-salarelv Mali esileedi, presidendi salarelv naisteleht-digi.ohtuleht.ee 21 June 2017 Allan Espenberg 26 August 2025 ethttps://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/national/1985/02/23/air-mali-crash-kills-50-at-timbuktu/5fa52d30-4949-4148-b9c9-e7ade1e6629e/ Air Mali Crash Kills 50 at Timbuktu The Washington Post February 22, 1985 June 1, 2025 Aftermath Access and communication was hampered at the time of the accident due to violent sandstorms that had raged for 10 days in the Sahara. An embassy delegation was not able to reach the crash site soon due to the severe weather conditions. The scheduled flight was the only commercial flight to Timbuktu. By 3 September 1985, flights had not resumed.https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-herald-timbuktu-a-magical-nam/179250312/ Timbuktu: A magical name that will live as long as time The Miami Herald newspapers.com 3 September 1985 26 August 2025 2 en There used to bee a weekly commercial flight, but in February the Air Mali plane was caught in a sandstorm an crashed near Timbuku's airstrip, killing 51 persons. Flights have not resumed. Following this accident the debts of Air Mali increased. It followed that the government was forced to close down the airline in 1988. Klee Ulrich Ernst Sommer Frank E. Bucher JP Airline-fleets International 88 / 89 Bucher & Co. 1988 The operations Air Mali was taken over by Malitas in 1989.Stamm Andrea L. Bastian Dawn Elaine Myers Robert A. Mali Myers, Robert A. Clio Press 1998 1-85109-166-1 References External links Crash at Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in Mali Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1985 Category:Aviation accidents and incidents involving the Antonov An-24 Category:1985 in Mali Category:20th-century fires in Africa Category:1985 disasters in Africa Category:Airliner accidents and incidents caused by engine failure Category:Airliner accidents and incidents caused by weather Category:February 1985 Category:History of Timbuktu