1993 Zambia national football team plane crash - wikipedia 1993 Zambia national football team plane crash Zambian Air Force AF - 319 A DHC - 5D Buffalo similar to the accident aircraft Accident Date 27 April 1993 Summary In - flight fire, pilot error Site Atlantic Ocean off Gabon 0 ° 37 ′ 05 '' N 9 ° 18 ′ 46 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 0.618135 ° N 9.312716 ° E ﻿ / 0.618135 ; 9.312716 Coordinates : 0 ° 37 ′ 05 '' N 9 ° 18 ′ 46 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 0.618135 ° N 9.312716 ° E ﻿ / 0.618135 ; 9.312716 Aircraft Aircraft type de Havilland Canada DHC - 5D Buffalo Operator Zambian Air Force Registration AF - 319 Flight origin Lusaka, Zambia 1st stopover Brazzaville, Congo 2nd stopover Libreville, Gabon Last stopover Abidjan, Ivory Coast Destination Dakar, Senegal Passengers 25 Crew 5 Fatalities 30 ( all ) Survivors 0 On the evening of 27 April 1993, a DHC - 5 Buffalo transport aircraft of the Zambian Air Force crashed into the Atlantic Ocean shortly after taking off from Libreville, Gabon. The flight was carrying most of the Zambian national football team to a FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Senegal in Dakar. All 25 passengers and five crew members were killed. The official investigation concluded that the pilot had shut down the wrong engine following an engine fire. It also found that pilot fatigue and a faulty instrument had contributed to the accident. Contents 1 Accident 2 Aircraft 3 Passengers 4 Investigation 5 Aftermath 6 Victims 6.1 Crew 6.2 Footballers 6.3 Coaching staff 7 See also 8 References 9 External links Accident 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. Flight route 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 500 m ( 550 yd ) 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. 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 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. Passengers 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. 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 president of the Football Association of Zambia ( FAZ ) -- was not aboard the flight as he was in the Netherlands playing for PSV 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 Anderlecht, was previously injured and thus was not on the flight. 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, was n'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. Aftermath 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 in Lusaka. 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. The resurrected team defied the odds, and displaying an attacking playing style, reached 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. 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. The accident was the subject of the 2014 Spanish / Zambian documentary film Eighteam, directed by Juan Rodriguez - Briso. Victims All thirty people onboard died in the crash. Crew Colonel Fenton Mone ( pilot ) Lt Colonel Victor Mubanga ( pilot ) Lt Colonel James Sachika ( pilot ) Major Edward Nhamboteh ( Flight Engineer ) Footballers 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 `` 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 `` Bomber '' Banda ( striker ) Coaching staff Godfrey `` Ucar '' Chitalu ( coach ) Alex Chola ( assistant coach ) See also List of accidents involving sports teams References ^ Jump up to : `` ASN Aircraft accident de Havilland Canada DHC - 5D Buffalo AF - 319 Atlantic Ocean, off Gabon ''. Aviation Safety Network. Flight Safety Foundation. Retrieved 19 December 2010. ^ Jump up to : `` ' Faulty plane ' killed Zambia team ''. BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 28 November 2003. Retrieved 17 December 2010. ^ Jump up to : Montville, Leigh ( 18 October 1993 ). `` Triumph On Sacred Ground ''. Sports Illustrated. Time Inc. Archived from the original on 27 April 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2010. Jump up ^ Zambia 's remarkable journey makes them winners regardless Jump up ^ `` Soccer heroes remembered ''. Times of Zambia. Ndola, Zambia : Times Printpak Limited. 28 April 2010. Retrieved 17 December 2010. ^ Jump up to : `` The day a nation cried ''. BBC Sport Online. British Broadcasting Corporation. 24 April 2003. Retrieved 19 December 2010. Jump up ^ `` Gabon crash victims remembered ''. Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 17 December 2010. Jump up ^ Gondwe, Kennedy ( 28 April 2002 ). `` Air crash families threaten legal action ''. BBC Sport Online. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 17 December 2010. Jump up ^ Duerden, John ( 23 January 2010 ). `` Football United : Zambia Making New History After Tragic Past ''. Goal.com. Retrieved 17 December 2010. Jump up ^ `` $4 m for Zambian air crash families ''. BBC Sport Online. British Broadcasting Corporation. 13 May 2002. Retrieved 17 December 2010. Jump up ^ Kapembwa, Jeff ( 30 April 2010 ). `` Zambian plane disaster report still not out 17 years later ''. Southern Times. Windhoek, Namibia : NAMZIM Newspapers ( Pty ) Limited. Retrieved 17 December 2010. Jump up ^ Kunda, Robinson ( 27 April 2010 ). `` Red tape delays Gabon report ''. Zambia Daily Mail. Retrieved 19 December 2010. Jump up ^ Mungazi, Farayi ( 24 January 2010 ). `` Zambia 's Kalusha Bwalya relives 1994 Nations Cup final ''. BBC Sport Online. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 22 December 2010. Jump up ^ `` Today marks 19th Anniversary of Gabon Air disaster ''. Lusaka Times. 27 April 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2013. External links Zambia portal Gabon portal Association football portal Aviation portal Disasters portal 1990s portal BBC -- Famous Air Crash Victims -- Part 3 : Sportsmen Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network 1993 Zambia national football team plane crash 27 April 1993 Players Banda Chabala Changwe Chansa Chikwalakwala Chomba Kangwa Makinka Masuwa Mulenga Mumba Mutale Mwanza Mwila Mwitwa Simambe Soko Watiyakeni Coaches Chitalu Chola Football in Zambia Football Association of Zambia National teams Men National team Olympic ( U-23 ) U-20 U-17 Women National team U-20 U-17 League system Men Zambian Premier League Zambian Second Division Domestic cups Men Zambian Cup Zambian Challenge Cup Zambian Coca Cola Cup Zambian Charity Shield Awards Footballer of the Year Top scorers Lists All - time Table Champions Clubs International footballers Foreign players Venues Lore 1993 Zambia national football team plane crash Men 's clubs Women 's clubs Men 's players Women 's players Expatriate players Managers Referees Venues Seasons Records Zambia national football team General Honours Head coaches Venues Levy Mwanawasa Stadium Matches and results Results and Fixtures 1974 AFCON Final 1994 AFCON Final 2012 AFCON Final Competitive records AFCON records Players International players Africa Cup of Nations Finals 1978 1982 1986 1992 1994 1998 2000 2002 2006 2008 2012 2013 2015 Other 1993 Zambia national football team plane crash Other FAZ teams Men Under - 23 Under - 21 Under - 20 Under - 19 Under - 17 Women Under - 19 ← 1992 Aviation accidents and incidents in 1993 ( 1993 ) 1994 → Jan 6 Lufthansa Cityline Flight 5634 Feb 8 Tehran mid-air collision Feb 11 Lufthansa Flight 592 Mar 5 Palair Macedonian Airlines Flight 301 Apr 1 Fairchild 227SA - TT ( N500AK ) Apr 6 China Eastern Airlines Flight 583 Apr 18 Japan Air System Flight 451 Apr 24 Indian Airlines Flight 427 Apr 26 Indian Airlines Flight 491 Apr 27 Zambia national football team plane crash May 19 SAM Colombia Flight 501 Jul 1 Merpati Nusantara Airlines Flight 724 Jul 23 China Northwest Airlines Flight 2119 Jul 26 Asiana Airlines Flight 733 Jul 31 Everest Air Dornier 228 crash Aug 12 Llyn Padarn helicopter crash Aug 28 Tajik Air Yakovlev Yak - 40 incident Sep 14 Lufthansa Flight 2904 Sep 21 -- 23 Transair Georgia airliner attacks Oct 26 China Eastern Airlines Flight 5398 Oct 27 Widerøe Flight 744 Nov 4 China Airlines Flight 605 Nov 13 China Northern Airlines Flight 6901 Nov 20 Avioimpex Flight 110 Nov 26 Auckland mid-air collision Dec 1 Northwest Airlink Flight 5719 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1993_Zambia_national_football_team_plane_crash&oldid=846664313 '' Categories : 1993 in Gabon 1993 in Zambia Aviation accidents and incidents involving professional sports teams Aviation accidents and incidents in 1993 Aviation accidents and incidents in Gabon Accidents and incidents involving the de Havilland Canada DHC - 5 Buffalo Accidents and incidents involving military aircraft Airliner accidents and incidents caused by in - flight fires Accidental deaths in Gabon 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification ( CAF ) Zambia national football team 1993 -- 94 in Zambian football 1993 in Zambian sport April 1993 events Libreville Hidden categories : Coordinates on Wikidata Use dmy dates from June 2018 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español فارسی Français 한국어 Italiano Lietuvių Nederlands 日本 語 Polski Português Русский Suomi 中文 6 more Edit links This page was last edited on 20 June 2018, at 04 : 57 ( UTC ). 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Question: african football team that died in plane crash
Answer: the Zambian national football team