Editing Sabena (section)

==Accidents and incidents==
*'''7 December 1934''': At least two SABENA aircraft were destroyed in a hangar fire at [[Haren Airport]] as a result of a crash of a military [[Fairey Fox]] biplane.

===Flights to or from Europe===
*'''11 September 1930''': A SABCA F7b/3m (OO-AIN) lost control and crashed shortly after takeoff from Croydon Airport following an unexplained in-flight fire, killing both pilots.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-sabca-f7b3m-croydon-2-killed|title=Crash of a Sabca F7b/3m in Croydon: 2 killed|website=Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives}}</ref>
*'''10 December 1935''': A [[Savoia-Marchetti S.73]] ([[aircraft registration|registered]] OO-AGN) [[1935 SABENA Savoia-Marchetti S.73 crash|crashed]] at [[Tatsfield]], [[Surrey]], United Kingdom, with the loss of 11 lives.
*'''4 January 1937''': [[Max Wenner]] disappeared from a Savoia Marchetti S.73 (registration OO-AGP) over Belgium; the plane itself was dismantled and hauled away by the Germans shortly after [[German invasion of Belgium (1940)|invasion of Belgium in 1940]].<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Marut |first=Alex |date=17 October 2020 |title=Het enigma rond Max Wenner |trans-title=The enigma surrounding Max Victor Wenner |url=http://www.taskforceliberty.be/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/De-zaak-Wenner-en-Kruft-1.pdf |access-date=2022-12-27 |website=taskforceliberty.be |language=nl-be |publication-place=[[Genk]], Flanders, Belgium}}</ref>
*'''16 November 1937''': A [[Junkers Ju 52|Junkers Ju 52/3m]] (registered OO-AUB) [[1937 Sabena Junkers Ju 52 Ostend crash|crashed near Ostend]], Belgium, while landing, killing all 12 people on board.
*'''10 October 1938''': A Savoia-Marchetti S.73 (OO-AGT) broke up in mid-air over Soest, Germany en route to Berlin from Düsseldorf, killing all 20 on board.<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19381010-0|title=OO-AGT}}</ref>
*'''14 March 1939''': A Junkers Ju 52/3mge (OO-AUA) crashed in a field at Sint-Stevens-Woluwe due to pilot error, killing the three crew. The aircraft was operating a cargo (mail) from London to Brussels.<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19390314-0|title=OO-AUA}}</ref>
*'''17 September 1946''': A [[Douglas DC-3]] (registered OO-AUR) crashed upon takeoff from [[Haren Airport]], killing one crew member. The other two crew and four passengers on board the flight bound for [[Croydon Airport]] survived. The aircraft had lost airspeed on takeoff for unknown reasons.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19460917-0 |title=17 September 1946 accident at the Aviation Safety Network |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |date=1946-09-17 |access-date=2014-07-23}}</ref>

[[File:PBY over DC-4 crashsite Newfoundland 1946.jpeg|thumb|right|The crash site of the DC-4 in [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]].]]

*'''18 September 1946''': 27 people died when a SABENA [[Douglas DC-4]] (OO-CBG) crashed 35&nbsp;km short of [[Gander International Airport|Gander, Newfoundland]], where the aircraft planned to land for a refueling stop on the flight from Brussels to New York. At the time of the accident, there was dense fog near the airport, and the pilot executed a flawed approach at too low an altitude. There were 17 survivors (16 passengers and one crew). The dead remain buried on location beside the remains of the wreck of the aircraft.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19460918-0 |title=ASN Aircraft accident Douglas DC-4-1009 OO-CBG Gander, NF |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |date=1946-09-18 |access-date=2014-07-23}}</ref><ref>''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7L5TTQUth8 78 Years Later! The Tragic Story of the Sabena Plane Crash]'' (video, via YouTube, 16 minutes), Abandoned Urbex Canada, 5 October 2024</ref>
*'''2 March 1948''': The 19 passengers and three crew members on a flight from Brussels to London died when a [[Douglas DC-3]] registered OO-AWH, [[1948 Heathrow disaster|crashed]] on approach to [[London Heathrow Airport]] in low visibility conditions.
*'''18 December 1949''': A [[Douglas DC-3]] (registered OO-AUQ) [[1949 Sabena DC-3 Crash|crashed]] near [[Aulnay-sous-Bois]], France, killing the four passengers and four crew on board. The aircraft had just left [[Le Bourget Airport]] for a flight to Brussels, when a wing separated.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19491218-0 |title=December 1949 crash at the Aviation Safety Network |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |date=1949-12-18 |access-date=2014-07-23}}</ref>
*'''14 October 1953''': A [[Convair CV-240 family|Convair CV-240]] (registered OO-AWQ) [[1953 Sabena Convair CV-240 crash|crashed]] near [[Kelsterbach]], West Germany, killing the 40&nbsp;passengers and four crew aboard the flight from [[Frankfurt]] to Brussels. Engine power was lost upon takeoff from [[Frankfurt Airport]], making the aircraft impossible to control. The accident remains the deadliest involving the Convair 240.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19531014-0 |title=October 1953 crash at the Aviation Safety Network |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |date=1953-10-14 |access-date=2014-07-23}}</ref>
*'''19 December 1953''': One passenger on board a flight from Brussels to [[Zürich]] was killed when the aircraft (a CV-240 registered OO-AWO) hit the ground 2.5&nbsp;km short of the runway threshold of [[Zurich Airport|Kloten Airport]]. In low visibility conditions, the pilot descended below the [[Instrument landing system|glidepath]]. The other 39 passengers and three crew members survived the accident.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19531219-0 |title=December 1953 crash at the Aviation Safety Network |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |access-date=2014-07-23}}</ref>
*'''3 June 1954''': A [[Douglas DC-3]] (registered OO-CBY) was {{Interlanguage link|1954 Sabena DC-3 Shootdown|lt=attacked|de|Beschuss einer Douglas C-47 der Sabena bei Maribor}} by a [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15]] fighter aircraft near [[Maribor]], Yugoslavia. The aircraft, on a cargo flight from [[Blackbushe Airport]] to [[Belgrade]], remained airborne, and a forced landing at [[Graz Airport]] was carried out, during which it ran off the runway. In the incident, one out of the four people on board was killed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19540603-0 |title=1954 military occurrence at the Aviation Safety Network |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |access-date=2014-07-23}}</ref>
*'''13 February 1955''': The pilots of [[Sabena Flight 503|Flight 503]] from Brussels to Rome lost orientation when approaching [[Ciampino–G. B. Pastine International Airport|Ciampino Airport]], resulting in the Douglas DC-6 registered OO-SDB crashing into the slope of [[Monte Terminillo]], killing the 21 passengers and eight crew on board.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19550213-0 |title=1954 crash at the Aviation Safety Network |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |date=1955-02-13 |access-date=2014-07-23}}</ref>
*'''15 February 1961''': The crash of [[Sabena Flight 548|Flight 548]] with its 73 casualties marked the worst accident in the history of SABENA. The aircraft, a [[Boeing 707]] registered OO-SJB, crashed at [[Brussels Airport]] at the end of a flight from [[Idlewild Airport|New York City]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19610215-3 |title=Flight 548 at the Aviation Safety Network |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |date=1961-02-15 |access-date=2014-07-23}}</ref> Among the dead were the entire American delegation to the 1961 [[World Figure Skating Championships]] slated to be held in [[Prague]]; the competition was canceled in the aftermath.
*'''13 July 1968''': {{Interlanguage link|Sabena Flight 712|lt=Flight 712|fr|Vol Sabena 712|nl|Sabena-vlucht 712}}, a cargo-configured 707 (registered OO-SJK) crashed upon approach to [[Murtala Muhammed International Airport|Lagos Airport]] in Nigeria on a flight from Brussels, killing the seven occupants. It was determined that the aircraft descended too low and struck trees.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680713-0 |title=1968 crash at the Aviation Safety Network |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |date=1968-07-13 |access-date=2014-07-23}}</ref>
*'''9 May 1970''': A [[Douglas DC-3]] (registered OO-AUX) was damaged beyond repair in a ground accident at [[Amsterdam Airport Schiphol]]. The pilots began to taxi the aircraft even though they had not been cleared to do so, which resulted in the right propeller hitting an obstacle on the ground, and debris destroying the airliner beyond economic repair. The aircraft had been leased from Delta Air Transport.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19700509-2 |title=1970 incident at the Aviation Safety Network |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |access-date=2014-07-23}}</ref>
*'''8 May 1972''': '''[[Sabena Flight 571 hijacking|Flight 571]]''' from Vienna to [[Tel Aviv]] with 101 people on board (a Boeing 707 registered OO-SJG) was hijacked by four members of the terrorist organization [[Black September (group)|Black September]], in order to secure the release of 315 detainees from Israeli prisons. At [[Ben-Gurion International Airport]], two hijackers were shot and killed by the Israeli ''[[Sayeret Matkal]]'' special forces. One passenger died later of the wounds she had suffered in the shootout.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19720508-0 |title=1970 hijacking at the Aviation Safety Network |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |access-date=2014-07-23}}</ref>

[[File:B-707 OO-SJE Sabena F145-21-b.jpg|thumb|right|The wreck of the Boeing 707 (OO-SJE) at [[Tenerife North Airport]]]]

*'''15 February 1978''': A [[Boeing 707]] (registered OO-SJE) undershot the runway at [[Tenerife North Airport|Los Rodeos Airport]], causing the nose gear to collapse, at the end of a chartered holiday flight from Brussels with 189 passengers and seven crew on board. All passengers and crew were evacuated safely but the spilled fuel caught fire, destroying the aircraft.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19780215-1 |title=February 1978 incident at the Aviation Safety Network |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |access-date=2014-07-23}}</ref>
*'''4 April 1978''': A [[Boeing 737-200]] (registered OO-SDH) on a training flight suffered a [[bird strike]] during a practice landing at [[Brussels South Charleroi Airport|Charleroi Airport]]. The pilot instructor attempted to get the aircraft airborne again, but failed because of insufficient remaining runway. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19780404-1 |title=April 1978 incident at the Aviation Safety Network |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |access-date=2014-07-23}}</ref>
*'''29 August 1998''': Flight 542 from New York to Brussels with 248 passengers and 11 crew members on board, an [[Airbus A340-200]] (registered OO-SCW), suffered a broken right landing gear upon landing at Brussels Airport. The aircraft veered off the runway. There were no notable injuries in the ensuing evacuation, and the aircraft was repaired. Main gear metal fatigue was blamed for the incident.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19980829-1 |title=1998 incident at the Aviation Safety Network |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |date=1998-08-29 |access-date=2014-07-23}}</ref>
*'''13 October 2000''': Flight 689 from Brussels to [[Abidjan]] was hijacked by a Nigerian national who was due to be deported. The [[Airbus A330-200]] with 146 other passengers and 11 crew members on board was forced to land at [[Málaga Airport]] in Spain, where the perpetrator was overpowered by local police forces.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20001013-0 |title=2000 hijacking at the Aviation Safety Network |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |date=2000-10-13 |access-date=2014-07-23}}</ref>
*'''4 December 2000''': [[Sabena Flight 877|Flight 877]] from Brussels to [[Nairobi]], Kenya, via [[Bujumbura]], Burundi, was struck by machine gun fire as it approached Bujumbura. Bullets had injured a passenger and cabin crew member. One engine also suffered damage. The Airbus&nbsp;A330-200 registered OO-SFR, carrying 170&nbsp;passengers and crew, was struck in an attack blamed by the government on Hutu rebels, who denied responsibility. The aircraft landed safely but did not continue the flight. The aircraft was repaired and returned to service.<ref>{{cite web|last=Eismont |first=Maria |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Travel/story?id=118608 |title=Gunfire Damages Sabena Jet in Burundi, abc News |publisher=Abcnews.go.com |access-date=2014-07-23}}</ref>

===Flights in the Belgian colonies===
*'''26 January 1937''': A SABCA S.73 (OO-AGR) crashed south of Oran-es Senia Airport, Algeria during a round trip from Belgium to Belgian Congo, killing all 12 on board. During the flight back to Belgium the aircraft was approaching Oran for an en route stop. Witnesses noticed the aircraft flying at {{convert|1000|m|ft|abbr=on}} when it went into a sudden nosedive until it crashed. The cause was not determined, but bad weather and engine problems were ruled out. Several recommendations were issued in the wake of the accident: the center of gravity and baggage requirements are checked to ensure proper load distribution, ensure adequate maintenance and inspection personnel are available in the Congo and ports of call, review maximum hours of piloting to avoid fatigue as well as provide use of the autopilot, require seat belts for pilots, ensure all security measures are taken for crossing the Mediterranean, and to install more cockpit instruments.<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19370126-0|title=OO-AGR}}</ref>
*'''1 January 1943''': A [[Junkers Ju 52]] (registered OO-AUG) crashed 80&nbsp;mi from [[Bangui]] in then [[French Equatorial Africa]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19430101-0 |title=1943 crash at the Aviation Safety Network |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |date=1943-01-01 |access-date=2014-07-23}}</ref>
*'''25 March 1944''' A Junkers Ju 52/3mge (OO-AGU) crashed at Costermansville (now [[Bukavu]]), [[Belgian Congo]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19440325-2 |title=March 1944 crash at the Aviation Safety Network |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |date=1944-03-25 |access-date=2014-07-23}}</ref>
*'''3 April 1944''': A Junkers Ju 52/3mge (OO-AUF) crashed nearby at Mongena.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19440403-3 |title=April 1944 accident at the Aviation Safety Network |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |date=1944-04-03 |access-date=2014-07-23}}</ref>
*'''14 December 1945''': A [[Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar]] (registered OO-CAK) caught fire and was subsequently destroyed following a forced landing near [[Kouandé]] during a flight that had originated at [[Lagos]], Nigeria.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19451214-0 |title=1945 incident at the Aviation Safety Network |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |date=1945-12-14 |access-date=2014-07-23}}</ref>
*'''7 January 1947''': A [[Douglas DC-3]] (registered OO-CBO) crashed near Costermansville.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19470107-0 |title=January 1947 crash at the Aviation Safety Network |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |date=1947-01-07 |access-date=2014-07-23}}</ref>
*'''24 December 1947''': A Lockheed Lodestar (registered OO-CAR) experienced an engine failure shortly after take-off from an airfield near [[Mitwaba]], then French Congo, and subsequently crashed, killing the five occupants on board.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19471224-0 |title=December 1947 crash at the Aviation Safety Network |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |date=1947-12-24 |access-date=2014-07-23}}</ref>
*'''12 May 1948''': A [[Douglas DC-4]] (registered OO-CBE) [[1948 Sabena DC-4 Crash|crashed]] near Magazini after flying into a tornado at low altitude during a scheduled passenger flight from Léopoldville (now [[Kinshasa]]) to [[Libenge]], then Belgian Congo, killing the 24 passengers and seven crew members; only one passenger survived.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19480512-0 |title=May 1948 crash at the Aviation Safety Network |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |date=1948-05-12 |access-date=2014-07-23}}</ref>
*'''31 August 1948''': Another 13 people (ten passengers, three crew) were killed when their aircraft, a [[Douglas DC-3]] (registered OO-UBL), [[1948 Sabena Douglas C-47 crash|crashed]] near Kimbwe en route to Elizabethville (now [[Lubumbashi]]) from [[Manono, Democratic Republic of the Congo|Manono]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19480831-0 |title=August 1948 crash at the Aviation Safety Network |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |date=1948-08-31 |access-date=2014-07-23}}</ref>
*'''27 August 1949''': A [[Douglas DC-3]] (registered OO-CBK) experienced a loss of engine power shortly after take-off from [[N'Dolo Airport|Leopoldville Airport]] for a flight to Elizabethville (now [[Lubumbashi]]), with 17&nbsp;passengers and three crew on board. The three crew members and two out of the seventeen passengers on board died in the ensuing {{Interlanguage link|1949 Sabena DC-4 Crash|lt=crash|de|Flugunfall der Sabena bei Léopoldville}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19490827-0 |title=August 1949 crash at the Aviation Safety Network |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |date=1949-08-27 |access-date=2014-07-23}}</ref>
*'''24 July 1951''': The right engine of a cargo-configured [[Douglas DC-3]] (registered OO-CBA) failed on takeoff from [[Gao International Airport|Gao Airfield]] and {{Interlanguage link|1951 Sabena DC-3 Crash|lt=crashed|de|Flugunfall der Sabena bei Gao}}, resulting in the loss of lives of the three persons on board. The engine failed due to hydraulic failure; hydraulic fluid squirted on the windshield, temporarily blinding the pilots who then lost control of the aircraft.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19510724-0 |title=1951 accident at the Aviation Safety Network |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |date=1951-07-24 |access-date=2014-07-23}}</ref>
*'''4 February 1952''': '''{{Interlanguage link|Sabena Flight 425|lt=Flight 425|de|Sabena-Flug 425}}''', a C-47A (registered OO-CBA), crashed in the Dibata forest some {{convert|20|km|mi|abbr=on}} from [[Kikwit]] en route from Costermansville to Léopoldville after a blade broke off the right side propeller and cut through the fuselage, severing control cables and resulting in a loss of control, killing all 16 on board. The propeller blade broke off following a shaft failure when the number two engine stopped suddenly after the piston lug on the No. 6 cylinder failed due to fatigue.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19520204-0 |title=1952 crash at the Aviation Safety Network |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |date=1952-02-04 |access-date=2014-07-23}}</ref>
*'''18 May 1958''': A [[Douglas DC-7]] (registered OO-SFA) suffered a problem with its leftmost engine, whilst on a flight from [[Lisbon]] to Léopoldville with 56&nbsp;passengers and nine crew members. The pilots prepared for an emergency landing at [[Casablanca–Anfa Airport]], but shortly before touchdown, a [[go-around]] was attempted, which resulted in a [[Stall (flight)|stall]] because of the lesser available engine power. The aircraft crashed into buildings and caught fire, from which only four passengers could be saved alive.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19580518-0 |title=1958 crash at the Aviation Safety Network |publisher=Aviation-safety.net |date=1958-05-18 |access-date=2014-07-23}}</ref>

[[File:Douglas DC-7C OO-SFC Sabena RWY 18.08.62 edited-3.jpg|thumb|A [[Douglas DC-7C]] similar to this one crashed in 1958 at [[Casablanca]] due to a mechanical failure.]]