Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09TRIPOLI812
2009-10-08 16:29:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Tripoli
Cable title:
LIBYAN AIR FORCE JET CRASHES AT AIRSHOW
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C O N F I D E N T I A L TRIPOLI 000812
SIPDIS
STATE PLEASE PASS TO NEA/MAG; ENERGY FOR GINA ERICKSON; COMMERCE
FOR NATE MASON
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/8/2019
TAGS: PGOV, LY, ECON, EINV, EPET, PREL, MCAP
SUBJECT: LIBYAN AIR FORCE JET CRASHES AT AIRSHOW
REF: TRIPOLI 805
CLASSIFIED BY: Yael Lempert, A/DCM, U.S. Embassy Tripoli, U.S.
Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L TRIPOLI 000812
SIPDIS
STATE PLEASE PASS TO NEA/MAG; ENERGY FOR GINA ERICKSON; COMMERCE
FOR NATE MASON
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/8/2019
TAGS: PGOV, LY, ECON, EINV, EPET, PREL, MCAP
SUBJECT: LIBYAN AIR FORCE JET CRASHES AT AIRSHOW
REF: TRIPOLI 805
CLASSIFIED BY: Yael Lempert, A/DCM, U.S. Embassy Tripoli, U.S.
Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)
1. (C) On October 7, a Libyan MiG-23 fighter jet crashed during
a demonstration flight at the third annual Libyan Aviation Expo
(LAVEX). According to a British businessman attending the expo
at Mitiga Airbase (a Libyan military facility, and former U.S.
airbase),the aircraft was performing its maneuvers and then
suddenly plunged to the ground. It was flying so low to the
ground that the two pilots had no time to eject. The cause of
the crash is unknown but, according to our contacts, the jet was
"very old." Some believe it may simply have run out of fuel.
After the crash, which occurred in the late morning, all other
demonstration flights were cancelled.
2. (C) The aircraft crashed into a residential area about two
kilometers from observation platforms at LAVEX. The official
Libyan press agency reported that three people on the ground
were wounded. Highlighting the lack of credibility that
governmental news sources have with normal Libyans, rumors are
circulating throughout Tripoli that the government is not
reporting the true casualities, and that actually, between one
to twelve Libyans were killed. A military protocol official
told us that the jet hit a house that was under construction,
wounding three workers. A cellphone video of the crash scene
posted on YouTube, shows a mass of people gathered around a mass
of rubble with no apparent emergency personnel on site.
3. (C) Comment: At the expo, Libya's aging air force - which is
only slowly recovering from years of unreliable maintenance and
lack of spare-parts when Libya was under international sanctions
- was on full display. The crash of the jet tragically
highlighted the weaknesses of Libya's military airfleet.
Despite Libya's obvious need to procure new planes
internationally, our contacts report that many high-level
foreign delegations to LAVEX, including the Chief of Staff of
the French Air Force, were unable to secure meetings with senior
Libyan officials, presumably since during the expo, most of the
government was summoned to the southern oasis town of Sebha for
festivities marking the 50th anniversary of the Free Officer
Movement (reftel). This is yet another demonstration of how
business in Libya is subject to the whims of its unpredictable
leader.
POLASCHIKJA
SIPDIS
STATE PLEASE PASS TO NEA/MAG; ENERGY FOR GINA ERICKSON; COMMERCE
FOR NATE MASON
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/8/2019
TAGS: PGOV, LY, ECON, EINV, EPET, PREL, MCAP
SUBJECT: LIBYAN AIR FORCE JET CRASHES AT AIRSHOW
REF: TRIPOLI 805
CLASSIFIED BY: Yael Lempert, A/DCM, U.S. Embassy Tripoli, U.S.
Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)
1. (C) On October 7, a Libyan MiG-23 fighter jet crashed during
a demonstration flight at the third annual Libyan Aviation Expo
(LAVEX). According to a British businessman attending the expo
at Mitiga Airbase (a Libyan military facility, and former U.S.
airbase),the aircraft was performing its maneuvers and then
suddenly plunged to the ground. It was flying so low to the
ground that the two pilots had no time to eject. The cause of
the crash is unknown but, according to our contacts, the jet was
"very old." Some believe it may simply have run out of fuel.
After the crash, which occurred in the late morning, all other
demonstration flights were cancelled.
2. (C) The aircraft crashed into a residential area about two
kilometers from observation platforms at LAVEX. The official
Libyan press agency reported that three people on the ground
were wounded. Highlighting the lack of credibility that
governmental news sources have with normal Libyans, rumors are
circulating throughout Tripoli that the government is not
reporting the true casualities, and that actually, between one
to twelve Libyans were killed. A military protocol official
told us that the jet hit a house that was under construction,
wounding three workers. A cellphone video of the crash scene
posted on YouTube, shows a mass of people gathered around a mass
of rubble with no apparent emergency personnel on site.
3. (C) Comment: At the expo, Libya's aging air force - which is
only slowly recovering from years of unreliable maintenance and
lack of spare-parts when Libya was under international sanctions
- was on full display. The crash of the jet tragically
highlighted the weaknesses of Libya's military airfleet.
Despite Libya's obvious need to procure new planes
internationally, our contacts report that many high-level
foreign delegations to LAVEX, including the Chief of Staff of
the French Air Force, were unable to secure meetings with senior
Libyan officials, presumably since during the expo, most of the
government was summoned to the southern oasis town of Sebha for
festivities marking the 50th anniversary of the Free Officer
Movement (reftel). This is yet another demonstration of how
business in Libya is subject to the whims of its unpredictable
leader.
POLASCHIKJA