Air Algérie Flight 702P

Phoenix Aviation

Industry	Aviation
Parent	Air Algérie

Phoenix Aviation Flight 702P, bearing registration 7T-VEE, was a Boeing 737 aircraft owned by Air Algérie and operated under lease by Phoenix Aviation. On 21 December 1994, while approaching Coventry Airport, UK, in conditions of limited visibility, the plane struck power lines and a supporting pylon during its final approach. The impact caused the aircraft to overturn, damage several nearby residences, and ultimately crash upside down into adjacent woodland. All five individuals aboard lost their lives.

Accident

The cockpit crew consisted of three Algerian personnel alongside two British ground handlers. Captain Ahmed Nemdil, aged 44, had accumulated 10,686 flight hours, including 2,187 hours on the Boeing 737-200 model. First Officer Nasreddine Hantour, 35 years old, held 2,858 flight hours predominantly on the B737-200. Accompanying them were Air Algérie maintenance engineer el-Hachemi Abdellaoui and Phoenix Aviation ground staff Adrian Sharp (31) and Andrew Yates (22).

Earlier that day, the aircraft had departed from Amsterdam en route to Coventry for its second trip that morning to transport live animals destined for export to the Netherlands and France. Fog had reduced visibility at Coventry significantly, with the runway visual range (RVR) measured at , which was below the minimum regulatory requirement of for the approach. As the aircraft lacked equipment compatible with the newer Instrument landing system, the crew relied on a surveillance radar approach (SRA) directed by air traffic control radar guidance. The first SRA approach to Coventry that day had been completed successfully.

Visibility worsened further during their second approach attempt; after an unstable descent, the captain elected to perform a missed approach and diverted to East Midlands Airport. Approximately ninety minutes later, although visibility improved somewhat, RVR remained at , still beneath the raised minimum of due to limited preparation time for SRA radar configuration. The flight took off from East Midlands at 9:38 local time for a third landing try.

By this point, the crew had been on duty for ten hours—exceeding company limits by two hours—and had completed five flight legs since late the previous evening. The final leg lasted fourteen minutes, insufficient for completing all standard procedures thoroughly. During this third SRA approach to runway 23 at Coventry, the approach was unstable with excessive speed; moreover, the landing checklist was not fully completed and cockpit communication was minimal. The first officer neglected to announce the minimum descent altitude (MDA), a critical procedural call.

The aircraft descended significantly below MDA and impacted an electricity transmission tower located approximately from the runway threshold along the extended centerline. This collision severed the tower’s upper segment and caused severe damage to the left engine and wing structure. The plane then rolled leftward, passed over several houses in Sunbury causing property damage, before crashing inverted into woodland at Willenhall, Coventry, where it caught fire and was completely destroyed.

Aftermath

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) determined that the accident was primarily caused by the flight crew descending well beneath the minimum descent height without having visual contact with either the runway or its approach lighting system. The investigation identified shortcomings in cross-verifying altimeter readings, failure of the non-flying pilot to call out minimum descent height as required, and crew fatigue that adversely affected their performance.

To commemorate the tragedy on its tenth anniversary, a brass plaque was installed in Middle Ride near the crash site by the Willenhall Wood Residents Association.

See also

• List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft

Bibliography

Air Accidents Investigation Branch

• "Investigation report on the Boeing 737-2D6C, registration 7T-VEE, accident at Willenhall, Coventry, Warwickshire on 21 December 1994." (Archived version)
  • Report appendices (Archived copy)
• "Summary AAR 1/1996: Boeing 737, 7T-VEE." (Archived version)