UTA Flight 772

UTA Flight 772
N54629, the aircraft involved in the bombing, pictured in 1981
Bombing
Date19 September 1989
SummaryIn-flight breakup due to terrorist bombing
Site
Aircraft
Aircraft typeMcDonnell Douglas DC-10-30
OperatorUnion de Transports Aériens
IATA flight No.UT772
ICAO flight No.UTA772
Call signUTA 772
RegistrationN54629
Flight originMaya-Maya Airport, Brazzaville, People's Republic of the Congo
StopoverN'Djamena International Airport, N'Djamena, Chad
DestinationCharles de Gaulle Airport, Paris, France
Occupants170
Passengers156
Crew14
Fatalities170
Survivors0

UTA Flight 772 was a scheduled international passenger flight of the French airline Union de Transports Aériens (UTA) operating from Brazzaville in the People's Republic of the Congo, via N'Djamena in Chad, to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, France. On 19 September 1989, the McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 operated the flight crashed into the Ténéré desert near Bilma, Niger, killing all 170 people on board after an in-flight explosion caused by a suitcase bomb. It is the deadliest aviation incident to occur in Niger.