Loftleidir

By Patrick Mondout

On November 15, 1978, an Loftleidir DC-8 carrying Muslim pilgrims home from Mecca crashed on approach to the Colombo-Bandaranayake airport, killing 202 of the 262 on board.

Accident investigators blamed the pilots for not monitoring their instruments more closely. The DC-8 descended to quick and the pilot did not initiate a missed approach before it was too late.

A photo of this aircraft from a year before it crashed is here.

Source: Newsweek, November 20, 1978, page 33.

Loftleidir at a Glance
Airline	Loftleidir
Date	November 15, 1978
Registration Number	TF-FLA
Crew Fatalities	9 of 13
Passenger Fatalities	193 of 249
Total Fatalities	202 of 262

Air Safety References:
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