The 1996 Air Africa crash occurred on 8 January when an overloaded Air Africa Antonov An-32B aircraft, wet leased from Moscow Airways and bound for Kahemba Airport, overshot the runway at N'Dolo Airport in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) after failing to take off and ploughed into Kinshasa's Simbazikita street market. Although four of the aircraft's six crew survived, between 225 and 348 fatalities and around 253 serious injuries occurred on the ground. This crash remains the deadliest in African history, and caused the most ground fatalities of any air accident in history, superseded only by the intentional crashes of American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 in the September 11 attacks.
The Antonov An-32 (NATO reporting name: Cline) is a turboprop twin-engined military transport aircraft.
1996Jan, 8
An Antonov An-32 cargo aircraft crashes into a crowded market in Kinshasa, Zaire, killing up to 223 on the ground; two of six crew members are also killed.
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Events on 1996
- 10Feb
Garry Kasparov
IBM supercomputer Deep Blue defeats Garry Kasparov in chess for the first time. - 13May
Bangladesh
Severe thunderstorms and a tornado in Bangladesh kill 600 people. - 10Jun
Sinn Féin
Peace talks begin in Northern Ireland without the participation of Sinn Féin. - 4Sep
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
War on Drugs: Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) attack a military base in Guaviare, starting three weeks of guerrilla warfare in which at least 130 Colombians are killed. - 25Nov
Florida
An ice storm strikes the central U.S., killing 26 people. A powerful windstorm affects Florida and winds gust over 90 mph, toppling trees and flipping trailers.