 A DHC-5D Buffalo similar to the accident aircraft | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 27 April 1993 |
| Summary | Crashed after shut down of operational engine |
| Site | Atlantic Ocean offGabon 0°37′05″N9°18′46″E / 0.618135°N 9.312716°E /0.618135; 9.312716 |
 | |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | de Havilland Canada DHC-5D Buffalo |
| Operator | Zambian Air Force |
| Registration | AF-319 |
| Flight origin | Lusaka, Zambia |
| 1st stopover | Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo |
| 2nd stopover | Libreville, Gabon |
| Last stopover | Abidjan, Ivory Coast |
| Destination | Dakar, Senegal |
| Occupants | 30 |
| Passengers | 25 |
| Crew | 5 |
| Fatalities | 30 |
| Survivors | 0 |
On the evening of 27 April 1993, aDHC-5 Buffalo transport aircraft of theZambian Air Force crashed into theAtlantic Ocean shortly after taking off fromLibreville,Gabon. The flight was carrying most of theZambia national football team to a1994 FIFA World Cup Qualifier againstSenegal inDakar. All 25 passengers and five crew members were killed. The official investigation concluded that the pilot had shut down the wrong engine following anengine fire. It also found that pilot fatigue and a faulty instrument had contributed to the accident.[1]
The flight had been specially arranged by the Zambian Air Force for the football team. The journey was scheduled to make three refuelling stops; the first atBrazzaville,Congo, the second atLibreville,Gabon, and the third atAbidjan,Ivory Coast.[2]
At the first stop in Brazzaville engine problems were noted. Despite this, the flight continued and a few minutes after taking off from the second stop in Libreville the left engine caught fire and failed. The pilot, who had also flown the team from a match inMauritius the previous day, then mistakenly shut down the right engine, causing the plane to lose all power during the climb out ofLibreville Airport and fall into the water 500 metres (1,600 ft; 550 yd) offshore. A Gabonese report released in 2003 attributed the pilot's actions to a faulty warning light and fatigue.[2][1][3]
The aircraft entered service in 1975. The plane had been out of service for five months from late 1992 until 21 April 1993. Test flights were carried out on 22 and 26 April. Prior to the departure for Senegal, checks revealed defects in the engine: carbon particles in oil filters, disconnected cables and trace of heating. However, the flight went ahead as scheduled.[2]
TheChipolopolo were a very promising Zambia national team. At the1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, their 4–0 victory over Italy included ahat-trick fromKalusha Bwalya, who won theAfrican Footballer of the Year later that year. They had their eyes on the1994 Africa Cup of Nations trophy, having finished third in the1990 edition, and a place at their firstWorld Cup.[4]
All 30 passengers and crew, including 18 players, as well as the national team coach and support staff, died in the accident.
Three players of the "Chipolopolo" were playing withUEFA clubs, and each made separate travel plans from their clubs in Europe to Senegal. CaptainKalusha Bwalya— later national team coach and president of theFAZ — was playing forPSV Eindhoven.Charles Musonda, a player forAnderlecht, was previously injured, staying in Belgium for rehabilitation at the time.[5]Johnson Bwalya played forFC Bulle, and would have traveled from Switzerland.[6] Bennett Mulwanda Simfukwe, who had been seconded to theFAZ by his employers (ZCCM) for 5 years and was supposed to be on this flight, wasn't on it because his employers demanded that he should immediately be removed from the list of those who were officially scheduled to travel to Senegal.Andrew Tembo and Martin Mumba almost boarded the flight, however they were asked not to board at the last minute.[7]
A campaign to have the Gabonese crash investigation publicly released continued into the 2000s.[8][9] In November 2003 a preliminary crash investigation report was released by the Gabonese government, which claimed that the left engine had caught on fire, and in an attempt to control the fire the pilot thought he had shut down that engine, when in reality he shut down the right engine due to a faulty light. Despite this relatives of the victims continue to lobby the Zambian government to produce a report on how the aircraft was allowed to leave Zambia, and why the players were transported on a military plane.[10][11][12][13][14]
In May 2002, $4 million was given to families of the deceased players in compensation.[15]
A week long period of mourning was declared by the government after the crash.[16]
The members of the national team killed in the crash were buried in what became known as "Heroes' Acre", just outside theIndependence Stadium in Lusaka.[10]
A new side was quickly assembled, and led by Kalusha Bwalya, faced up to the difficult task of having to complete Zambia's World Cup qualifiers (narrowly missing qualification by finishing one point behindMorocco) and then prepare for the upcomingAfrican Nations Cup which was only months away to be hosted in Tunisia.[3]
The resurrected team defied the odds, and displaying an attacking playing style, reached the1994 African Cup of Nationsfinal againstNigeria. They took the lead in the first half, but theSuper Eagles quickly equalised and followed up with the winner in the second half. In spite of the loss, the Zambian side returned home as national heroes.[17]
In 2012, Zambia won theAfrica Cup of Nations in Libreville, only a few hundred metres inland from the crash site; the victory was dedicated to the ones who lost their lives in the tragedy. Zambiabeat Côte d'Ivoire 8–7 in a penalty shoot out after the game ended 0–0 after normal and added time.[18][19][20]
The accident was the subject of the 2015 Spanish/Zambian documentary filmEighteam, directed by Juan Rodriguez-Briso.
All thirty people on board died in the crash. 24 bodies were recovered, but only 13 could be identified.[21]
Crew[edit]
| Coaching staff[edit]
|
Source:[22]
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1GK | David Chabala | (1960-02-02)2 February 1960 (aged 33) | 115 | 0 |  Mufulira Wanderers | |
| 1GK | Richard Mwanza | (1959-05-05)5 May 1959 (aged 33) | 8 | 0 | Kabwe Warriors | |
| 2DF | Whiteson Changwe | (1964-10-19)19 October 1964 (aged 28) | 31 | 1 | Kabwe Warriors | |
| 2DF | John Soko | (1968-05-05)5 May 1968 (aged 24) | 25 | 0 | Nkana | |
| 2DF | Samuel Chomba | (1964-01-05)5 January 1964 (aged 29) | 21 | 2 |  Dynamos | |
| 2DF | Robert Watiyakeni | (1969-10-18)18 October 1969 (aged 23) | 4 | 0 | Dynamos | |
| 2DF | Winter Mumba | unknown | 2 | 0 | Power Dynamos | |
| 2DF | Kenan Simambe | (1974-08-23)23 August 1974 (aged 18) | 1 | 1 | Power Dynamos | |
| 3MF | Derby Makinka | (1965-09-05)5 September 1965 (aged 27) | 98 | 10 |  Al-Ettifaq | |
| 3MF | Wisdom Mumba Chansa | (1964-04-17)17 April 1964 (aged 29) | 34 | 4 | Dynamos | |
| 3MF | Eston Mulenga | (1961-08-07)7 August 1961 (aged 31) | 34 | 1 | Nkana | |
| 3MF | Moses Chikwalakwala | (1969-08-28)28 August 1969 (aged 23) | 7 | 3 | Nkana | |
| 3MF | Numba Mwila | (1972-03-18)18 March 1972 (aged 21) | 4 | 1 | Nkana | |
| 3MF | Godfrey Kangwa | unknown | 1 | 0 |  Olympique de Casablanca | |
| 4FW | Timothy Mwitwa | (1968-05-21)21 May 1968 (aged 24) | 16 | 2 | Nkana | |
| 4FW | Kelvin Mutale | (1969-09-20)20 September 1969 (aged 23) | 10 | 12 | Al-Ettifaq | |
| 4FW | Patrick Banda | (1974-01-28)28 January 1974 (aged 19) | 6 | 3 | Profund Warriors | |
| 4FW | Moses Masuwa | (1971-07-30)30 July 1971 (aged 21) | 1 | 0 | Kabwe Warriors | |
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