View source for 1993 Zambia national football team air disaster

{{Infobox Aircraft occurrence
|name             = [[Zambian Air Force]] AF-319
|occurrence_type  = Accident
|image            = DehavillandCC-115Buffalo12.JPG
|image_size       = 200
|caption          = A DHC-5D Buffalo similar to the accident aircraft
|date             = 27 April 1993
|type             = In-flight fire, pilot error
|site             = Atlantic Ocean<br>off Gabon
|coordinates      = 
|aircraft_type    = de Havilland Canada DHC-5D Buffalo
|operator         = [[Zambian Air Force]]
|tail_number      = [http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19930427-2 AF-319]
|origin           = [[Lusaka]], [[Zambia]]
|stopover0        = Brazzaville, Congo]]
|stopover1    = Libreville, Gabon
|last_stopover = Abidjan, Ivory Coast
|destination      = Dakar, Senegal
|passengers       = 25
|crew             = 5
|fatalities       = 30 (all)
|survivors        = 0
}}

The '''1993 Zambia national football team air disaster''' occurred in the late evening of 27 April 1993 when a [[Zambian Air Force]] de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo|de Havilland Canada DHC-5D Buffalo (registration AF-319) crashed into the Atlantic Ocean about {{convert|500|m|yd|abbr=off}} offshore from Libreville, Gabon. The flight was carrying most of the [[Zambia national football team|Zambian national football team]] to a FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Senegal in Dakar. All 25 passengers and five crew members were killed. A Gabonese official investigation into the accident concluded that the pilot had shut down the wrong engine after a fire. The investigation found that pilot fatigue and an instrument error had contributed to the accident. The accident is recreated in the documentary film ''[[Eighteam (documentary)|Eighteam]]'', about the Zambian national team, directed by Juan Rodriguez-Briso.

==Accident==
[[File:Gabon Air Disaster.png|thumb|left|250px|Flight route]]The flight had been specially arranged by the Zambian Air Force for the football team. The journey was scheduled to make three refuelling stops; the first at Brazzaville, Congo, the second at[Libreville, Gabon, and the third at Abidjan, Ivory Coast.<ref name="asn1">{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19930427-2|title=ASN Aircraft accident de Havilland Canada DHC-5D Buffalo AF-319 Atlantic Ocean, off Gabon|work=Aviation Safety Network|publisher=Flight Safety Foundation|accessdate=19 December 2010}}</ref>

At the first stop in Brazzaville engine problems were noted. Despite this, the flight continued and a few minutes after taking off from the second stop in Libreville the left engine caught fire and failed. The pilot, who had also flown the team from a match in Mauritius the previous day, then shut down the right engine, causing the plane to lose all power during the climb out of Libreville Airport and fall into the water {{convert|500|m|yd|abbr=on}} offshore. A Gabonese report released in 2003 attributed the pilot's actions to a faulty warning light and fatigue on the part of the pilot.<ref name="asn1" /><ref name="bbc3">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3247006.stm|title='Faulty plane' killed Zambia team|date=28 November 2003|work=BBC News|publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation|accessdate=17 December 2010}}</ref><ref name="sportsillustrated1">{{cite news|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1138563/1/index.htm|title=Triumph On Sacred Ground|last=Montville|first=Leigh|date=18 October 1993|work=Sports Illustrated|publisher=Time Inc.|accessdate=17 December 2010}}</ref>

==Aircraft==
The aircraft entered service in 1975. The plane had been out of service for five months from late 1992 until 21 April 1993. Test flights were carried out on 22 April and 26 April. Prior to the departure for Senegal, checks revealed a number of defects in the engine: carbon particles in oil filters, disconnected cables and trace of heating. However, the flight went ahead as scheduled.<ref name="asn1" />

==Passengers==
[[File:1993 Zambia national football team.jpg|thumbnail|right|1993 Zambia national football team]]
The Chipolopolo were a very promising Zambia national team. At the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul they thrashed Italy 4–0. They had their eyes on the 1993 Africa Cup of Nations trophy and a place at their first World Cup.<ref>[http://fourfourtwo.com/blogs/africacupofnations2012/archive/2012/02/12/zambia-s-remarkable-journey-makes-them-winners-regardless.aspx Zambia's remarkable journey makes them winners regardless]</ref>

All 30 passengers and crew, including 18 players, as well as the national team coach and support staff, died in the accident. The ''Chipolopolo's'' captain, [[Kalusha Bwalya]]—later national team coach and now president of the [[Football Association of Zambia]] (FAZ)—was not aboard the ill-fated flight as he was in the Netherlands playing for PSV Eindhoven at that time and had made separate arrangements to make his own way to Senegal to take part in the match. [[Charles Musonda]], at the time playing in [[Belgium]] for [[R.S.C. Anderlecht|Anderlecht]], was previously injured and thus was not on the flight.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.times.co.zm/news/viewnews.cgi?category=17&id=1272608302|title=Soccer heroes remembered|date=28 April 2010|work=Times of Zambia|publisher=Times Printpak Limited|accessdate=17 December 2010|location=Ndola, Zambia}}</ref> Bennett Mulwanda Simfukwe, who had been seconded to the FAZ by his employers (ZCCM) for 5 years and was supposed to be on this flight, wasn't on the flight because his employers demanded that he should immediately be removed from the list of those who were officially scheduled to travel to Senegal.

==Investigation==
A campaign to have the Gabonese crash investigation publicly released continued into the 2000s. In November 2003 a preliminary crash investigation report was released by the Gabonese government. Despite this relatives of the victims continue to lobby the Zambian government to produce a report on how the aircraft was allowed to leave Zambia.<ref name="bbc3" /><ref name="bbc4" /><ref name="znbc1">{{cite news|url=http://www.znbc.co.zm/media/news/viewnews.cgi?category=5&id=1209391449|title=Gabon crash victims remembered|publisher=Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation|accessdate=17 December 2010}}</ref><ref name="bbc1">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/africa/1956551.stm|title=Air crash families threaten legal action|last=Gondwe|first=Kennedy|date=28 April 2002|work=BBC Sport Online|publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation|accessdate=17 December 2010}}</ref><ref name="goaldotcom1">{{cite news|url=http://www.goal.com/en/news/1863/world-cup-2010/2010/01/23/1757347/football-united-zambia-making-new-history-after-tragic-past|title=Football United: Zambia Making New History After Tragic Past|last=Duerden|first=John|date=23 January 2010|publisher=Goal.com|accessdate=17 December 2010}}</ref><ref name="bbc2">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/africa/1984849.stm|title=$4m for Zambian air crash families|date=13 May 2002|work=BBC Sport Online|publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation|accessdate=17 December 2010}}</ref><ref name="southerntimes1">{{cite news|url=http://www.southerntimesafrica.com/article.php?title=Zambian_plane_disaster_report_still_not_out_17_years_later&id=4035|title=Zambian plane disaster report still not out 17 years later|last=Kapembwa|first=Jeff|date=30 April 2010|work=Southern Times|publisher=NAMZIM Newspapers (Pty) Limited|accessdate=17 December 2010|location=Windhoek, Namibia}}</ref><ref name="Kunda">{{cite news|url=http://www.daily-mail.co.zm/media/news/viewnews.cgi?category=24&id=1272526106|title=Red tape delays Gabon report|last=Kunda|first=Robinson|date=27 April 2010|work=Zambia Daily Mail|accessdate=19 December 2010}}</ref>

==Aftermath==
[[File:Lusaka Heroes Acre - memorial.jpg|thumb|300px|Memorial at Heroes' Acre in Lusaka]]
The members of the national team killed in the crash were buried in what became known as "Heroes' Acre," just outside the [[Independence Stadium (Zambia)|Independence Stadium]] in Lusaka.<ref name="bbc4">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/africa/2974099.stm|title=The day a nation cried|date=24 April 2003|work=BBC Sport Online|publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation|accessdate=19 December 2010}}</ref>

A new side was quickly assembled, and led by Bwalya, faced up to the difficult task of having to complete Zambia's World Cup qualifiers and then prepare for the upcoming African Nations Cup which was only months away.<ref name="sportsillustrated1" />

The resurrected team defied the odds, and displaying an offensive playing style, reaching the final against Nigeria. They took the lead in the first half, but the ''Super Eagles'' quickly equalised and followed up with the winner in the second half. In spite of the loss, the Zambian side returned home as national heroes.<ref name="bbc5">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/africa/8477655.stm|title=Zambia's Kalusha Bwalya relives 1994 Nations Cup final|last=Mungazi|first=Farayi|date=24 January 2010|work=BBC Sport Online|publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation|accessdate=22 December 2010}}</ref>

In 2012, Zambia won the Africa Cup of Nations in Libreville, only a few hundred metres inland from the crash site; the victory was dedicated to the ones who lost their lives in the tragedy. Zambia beat Côte d'Ivoire 8–7 in a penalty shoot out after the game ended 0–0 after normal and added time.

==List of victims==

===Crew===
* Colonel [[Fenton Mhone]] (pilot)
* Lt Colonel [[Victor Mubanga]] (pilot)
* Lt Colonel [[James Sachika]] (pilot)
* Major [[Edward Nhamboteh]] (Flight Engineer)
* Corporal [[Tomson Sakala]] (steward)

===Footballers===
{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|
* [[David Chabala|Efford Chabala]] (goalkeeper)
* [[John Soko]] (defender)
* [[Whiteson Changwe]] (defender)
* [[Robert Watiyakeni]] (defender)
* [[Eston Mulenga]] (defender)
* [[Derby Makinka]] (midfielder)
* [[Moses Chikwalakwala]] (midfielder)
* [[Wisdom Mumba Chansa]] (midfielder)
* [[Kelvin Mutale|Kelvin "Malaza" Mutale]] (striker)
* [[Timothy Mwitwa]] (striker)
* [[Numba Mwila]] (midfielder)
* [[Richard Mwanza]] (goalkeeper)
* [[Samuel Chomba]] (defender)
* [[Moses Masuwa]] (striker)
* [[Kenan Simambe]] (striker)
* [[Godfrey Kangwa]] (midfielder)
* [[Winter Mumba]] (defender)
* [[Patrick Banda|Patrick "Bomber" Banda]] (striker)
}}

===Coaching staff===
* [[Godfrey Chitalu|Godfrey "Ucar" Chitalu]] (coach)
* [[Alex Chola]] (assistant coach)
* [[Wilson Mtonga]] (doctor)
* [[Wilson Sakala]]

===Others===
* [[Michael Mwape]] ([[Football Association of Zambia|FAZ]] Chairman)
* [[Nelson Zimba]] (public servant)
* [[Joseph Bwalya Salim]] (journalist)
:''Source:'' {{cite news | url=http://www.lusakatimes.com/2012/04/27/today-marks-19th-anniversary-gabon-air-disaster/ | title=Today marks 19th Anniversary of Gabon Air disaster | newspaper=[[Lusaka Times]] | date=27 April 2012 | accessdate=25 April 2013}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A17090697 BBC – Famous Air Crash Victims – Part 3: Sportsmen]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zambia national football team air disaster}}
[[Category:1993 in Zambia]]
[[Category:Zambia national football team]]
[[Category:Aviation accidents]]