On 4 July 2002, a Boeing 707-123B operated by Prestige Airlines crashed whilst attempting an emergency landing at Bangui Airport. 28 people on board were killed and two survived.[1] The flight was bound to Brazzaville, but the crew decided to divert to Bangui when the landing gear failed to retract.
The passengers consisted of 17 Chadians on board. The Boeing 707 belonged to airline New Gomair, owned by a local businessmen, but was chartered by Prestige Airlines at the time of the accident.[2]
On final approach to Bangui, the aircraft descended until it contacted the ground. The crash occurred in clear weather at about 11:15 a.m. local time in the neighborhood of Guitangola, two miles short of the Bangui Airport's runway.[3][4] The aircraft exploded upon touchdown, scattering wreckage and reportedly causing the roof of an empty house to collapse.[3]
The two survivors were engineer Laurent Tabako and a woman from Chad, both were admitted to a hospital. According to Tabako, the engines stopped before landing and the crew may have dumped too much fuel before an emergency landing. The witnesses reportedly did not hear the usual engine noise during the crash and saw no flames when the aircraft disintegrated. The aircraft's flight recorder and voice recorder were recovered and an investigation was launched by the government of the Central African Republic.[2]