Libyan Arab Airlines 114

By Patrick Mondout

On February 21, 1973, a Libyan Arab Airways Boeing 727 with 104 passengers was shot down by the Israeli Air Force. Only four passengers and one crewmember survived the resulting crash.

Flight 114, a regularly scheduled flight from Tripoli to Cairo via Benghazi, strayed off course in bad weather and overshot Cairo. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) later confirmed that the Cairo beacon was probably inoperable at the time of the flight making it difficult for the crew to know exactly where they were.

By the time they got below clouds, they found themselves in the Sinai Desert in Israeli airspace. The aircraft was then joined by a pair of Israeli Air Force F-4E Phantom II fighters. A few warning shots were fired to get the plane to land and when the 727 turned to head back to Egypt, the Israelis attacked. The right wing was hit and fire forced the plane to attempt to land in the desert.  

Boeing 727-224 Another Boeing 727-224, similar to Flight 114 - as seen in Continental livery at Denver's Stapleton Airport in January 1975. Image courtesy of AirNikon. Find more of his photos at Airliners.net

A picture of the actual aircraft is here.

Libyan Arab Airlines 114 at a Glance
Airline	Libyan Arab Airlines
Date	February 21, 1973
Flight number	114
Registration Number	5A-DAH
Crew Fatalities	8 of 9
Passenger Fatalities	100 of 104
Total Fatalities	108 of 113

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