The aircraft, a Boeing 727-223 formerly owned by American Airlines and registered as N865AA, had gone through several operators before being acquired by UTAGE. All three flight crew members had previously flown for Libyan Arab Airlines and had their first flight with the airline on 8 December 2003. The captain was an unnamed 49-year-old male with 11,000 flight hours, including 8,000 hours on the Boeing 727. The first officer was an unnamed 49-year-old male whose flight information was not stated in the accident report. The flight engineer was an unnamed 45-year-old male who had 14,000 flight hours, all on the Boeing 727.
Flight
Flight 141's route was Conakry International Airport – Cotonou Cadjehoun Airport – Kufra Airport – Beirut International Airport – Dubai International Airport. As passengers were enplaning, the situation became chaotic. Many boarded at the last minute and had not sat down. Eventually, order was restored in the cabin and the flight was cleared for takeoff. The aircraft started its takeoff roll with the first officer as the pilot flying and the captain as the pilot monitoring. After reaching V1 speed, the first officer attempted to rotate the plane, pulling back on the control column, but the aircraft did not respond. After the PF applied more force to the yoke, the plane finally lifted off, but then hit a localizer building at the end of the runway and lost altitude before hitting a beach and breaking up. Emergency crews responded quickly, but were hampered by poor coordination and a large crowd of onlookers surrounding the accident site.
Passengers
As the accident happened on Christmas Day, many of the passengers were workers who were flying home to Lebanon to enjoy the holidays with their families. Over a hundred of the passengers were Lebanese, while the rest were from Togo, Guinea, Libya, Sierra Leone, Palestine, Syria, Nigeria, and Iran. Among the passengers were 15 Bangladeshi UN peacekeepers returning from their duties in Sierra Leone and Liberia. Exact passenger numbers are impossible to determine, as it is thought that there were more passengers aboard than were listed on the manifest.
Investigation
The accident was investigated by the Republic of Benin with the French BEA providing support. Examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of mechanical failure with the plane's flight controls or engines. Investigators discovered that the pilots were provided with incorrect information on the plane's weight and center of gravity; it was determined that the plane was greatly overweight, with its center of gravity dangerously far forward. This likely affected the plane's ability to get airborne. High runway temperatures also affected the aircraft's performance. Investigators tried to determine why the pilots would have attempted to takeoff in such circumstances. It was discovered that the airline provided very limited support to the crew, and that many available company manuals and documents were either inaccurate or poorly designed. Investigators also found that many company management personnel lacked adequate knowledge, organization, and competence to operate charter flights. It was further noted that there was a need for more air routes throughout the region. Investigators concluded that the lack of a culture of safety within the company, coupled with pressure to get flights to their destinations on time, put the flight crew in a stressful situation without the resources to make the correct decision. The investigation further concluded that safety oversight by aviation authorities in Africa was inadequate and failed to properly correct safety deficiencies. It also found that the impact with the localizer building contributed to the accident's severity, and noted flaws with the emergency response. As a result of the accident, investigators recommended better safety oversight of airlines by African aviation authorities. It also recommended improvements regarding compliance with weight and balance procedures for loading aircraft.
