The crash killed 25 players and crew of the Zambia national football team, one of the deadliest disasters in African football history.
Key Facts
- Date of crash
- 27 April 1993
- Aircraft type
- de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo
- Total fatalities
- 30 people
- Passengers killed
- 25 people
- Crew killed
- 5 people
- Destination
- Dakar, Senegal (1994 FIFA World Cup Qualifier)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Zambian Air Force DHC-5 Buffalo experienced an engine fire shortly after departing Libreville. The pilot shut down the wrong engine in response. Investigators also determined that pilot fatigue and a faulty instrument were contributing factors, compromising the crew's ability to manage the emergency correctly.
On the evening of 27 April 1993, the aircraft carrying most of the Zambia national football team crashed into the Atlantic Ocean shortly after takeoff from Libreville, Gabon. The team was en route to Dakar to play a 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Senegal. All 30 people on board—25 passengers and five crew—perished.
The crash effectively wiped out Zambia's national football squad. The country rebuilt its team and, remarkably, qualified for the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations. The disaster is commemorated annually in Zambia, and the tragedy is widely regarded as a defining moment in the nation's football history.