Operation Benin
Encyclopedia
Operation Benin, also known as Operation Cotonou, was a rescue mission carried out by the Lebanese Navy SEALs Regiment
in Cotonou
, Benin
between December 26 2003 and December 30 2003 This operation is considered to be the first mission carried out by Lebanese Armed Forces
units abroad. Its task was to recover bodies and two black box
es from UTA Flight 141
.
Boeing 727-223 heading to Beirut
carrying 161 people , mainly Lebanese
going to spend the New Year vacation in Lebanon, crashed into the sea shortly after take off resulting in 139 dead on December 25, 2003. The crash is considered to be the worst accident in the Lebanese aviation history as per the number of Lebanese citizens affected. The plane was a private jet operated by a Lebanese businessman.
, night of December 25-26, 2003, commander of the Lebanese Navy SEALs Regiment
Colonel George Chraim receives a call from the Lebanese Armed Forces
commander-in-chief General Michel Suleiman
ordering him to prepare a Navy SEALs unit to be fully equipped and immediately dispatched to Beirut International Airport, and then fly for a rescuing and bodies recovering mission in Benin
, that's in addition to locating the two black boxes
.
airliner that took off at 2:30 a.m.
at 10 a.m, a French
military attache officer and another Beninese were waiting the team in order to guide them through and cooperate on their needs. For the next step the team had to take vehicles prepared by the local Lebanese community to reached the crash scene and start surveying it.
. Shortly after, they started pulling the wreckage to the shore using the available vehicles. The first day ended at 6:00 p.m.
as the sunset began. At the morning of the second day, the team returned to the crash site, and divided into two groups:
At around 1 O'clock the second team was able to find the first black box, later that day, the other box was found. Searching and rescuing continued later that night.
On the third day, a meeting with the officials from Benin, Lebanon, and France was held at the airport to discuss and asses the situation, and concluded that it was time to return to Lebanon
.
Lebanese Navy SEALs Regiment
The Navy SEALs Regiment or Navy Commando Regiment is Lebanon's elite Maritime Special Operations unit and is a member of the Lebanese Special Operations Command. It is regarded as being one of the best Naval Special Forces units in the Middle East...
in Cotonou
Cotonou
-Demographics:*1979: 320,348 *1992: 536,827 *2002: 665,100 *2005: 690,584 The main languages spoken in Cotonou include the Fon language, Aja language, Yoruba language and French.-Transport:...
, Benin
Benin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
between December 26 2003 and December 30 2003 This operation is considered to be the first mission carried out by Lebanese Armed Forces
Lebanese Armed Forces
The Lebanese Armed Forces or Forces Armées Libanaises in French, also known as the Lebanese Army according to its official Website The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) (Arabic: القوات المسلحة اللبنانية | Al-Quwwāt al-Musallaḥa al-Lubnāniyya) or Forces Armées Libanaises in French, also known as the...
units abroad. Its task was to recover bodies and two black box
Black box
A black box is a device, object, or system whose inner workings are unknown; only the input, transfer, and output are known characteristics.The term black box can also refer to:-In science and technology:*Black box theory, a philosophical theory...
es from UTA Flight 141
UTA Flight 141
UTA Flight 141 was a charter flight operated by Union des Transports Aériens de Guinée.On 25 December 2003 the airplane crashed in the Bight of Benin, killing 151 of the 163 occupants, most of them Lebanese....
.
Background
A UTAUnion des Transports Aériens de Guinée
Union des Transports Aériens de Guinée was a Guinean and Lebanese regional airline.-Code data:...
Boeing 727-223 heading to Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
carrying 161 people , mainly Lebanese
Lebanese people
The Lebanese people are a nation and ethnic group of Levantine people originating in what is today the country of Lebanon, including those who had inhabited Mount Lebanon prior to the creation of the modern Lebanese state....
going to spend the New Year vacation in Lebanon, crashed into the sea shortly after take off resulting in 139 dead on December 25, 2003. The crash is considered to be the worst accident in the Lebanese aviation history as per the number of Lebanese citizens affected. The plane was a private jet operated by a Lebanese businessman.
Receiving Orders
At 12:20 a.m.12-hour clock
The 12-hour clock is a time conversion convention in which the 24 hours of the day are divided into two periods called ante meridiem and post meridiem...
, night of December 25-26, 2003, commander of the Lebanese Navy SEALs Regiment
Lebanese Navy SEALs Regiment
The Navy SEALs Regiment or Navy Commando Regiment is Lebanon's elite Maritime Special Operations unit and is a member of the Lebanese Special Operations Command. It is regarded as being one of the best Naval Special Forces units in the Middle East...
Colonel George Chraim receives a call from the Lebanese Armed Forces
Lebanese Armed Forces
The Lebanese Armed Forces or Forces Armées Libanaises in French, also known as the Lebanese Army according to its official Website The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) (Arabic: القوات المسلحة اللبنانية | Al-Quwwāt al-Musallaḥa al-Lubnāniyya) or Forces Armées Libanaises in French, also known as the...
commander-in-chief General Michel Suleiman
Michel Suleiman
Michel Suleiman or Sleiman is the President of Lebanon. Before assuming office as President, he held the position of commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces. After LAF commander Émile Lahoud took office as president in November of 1998, Suleiman succeeded him, taking his place in December...
ordering him to prepare a Navy SEALs unit to be fully equipped and immediately dispatched to Beirut International Airport, and then fly for a rescuing and bodies recovering mission in Benin
Benin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
, that's in addition to locating the two black boxes
Black Box (transportation)
The term black box is a placeholder name used casually to refer to a collection of several different recording devices used in transportation: the flight recorders in aircraft, the event recorder in railway locomotives, the event data recorder in automobiles, message case in ships, and other...
.
Getting Ready
According to Colonel Chraim, some soldiers were called after from their homes ; in addition, getting the diving gears and equipment, and boats ready was done within a very short time, as the unit was ready at 02:10 a.m. in the airport, and then boarded an MEAMiddle East Airlines
Middle East Airlines – Air Liban S.A.L. , more commonly known as Middle East Airlines , is the national flag-carrier airline of Lebanon, with its head office in Beirut, near Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport...
airliner that took off at 2:30 a.m.
Arrival at Cotonou
The plane reached Cadjehoun AirportCadjehoun Airport
Cotonou Cadjehoun Airport is an airport located in Cotonou, the biggest city in Benin in West Africa.In 2004, the airport served 301,493 passengers.-Airlines and destinations:-Incidents and accidents:...
at 10 a.m, a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
military attache officer and another Beninese were waiting the team in order to guide them through and cooperate on their needs. For the next step the team had to take vehicles prepared by the local Lebanese community to reached the crash scene and start surveying it.
Operations
Upon arrival to the crash site, the team started clearing the people off the area, and started preparing the gears and equipment. The team then started diving under the plane remains in the water which was mixed up with jet fuelJet fuel
Jet fuel is a type of aviation fuel designed for use in aircraft powered by gas-turbine engines. It is clear to straw-colored in appearance. The most commonly used fuels for commercial aviation are Jet A and Jet A-1 which are produced to a standardized international specification...
. Shortly after, they started pulling the wreckage to the shore using the available vehicles. The first day ended at 6:00 p.m.
12-hour clock
The 12-hour clock is a time conversion convention in which the 24 hours of the day are divided into two periods called ante meridiem and post meridiem...
as the sunset began. At the morning of the second day, the team returned to the crash site, and divided into two groups:
- First one equipped with two Rigid-hulled inflatable boatRigid-hulled inflatable boatA rigid-hulled inflatable boat, or rigid-inflatable boat is a light-weight but high-performance and high-capacity boat constructed with a solid, shaped hull and flexible tubes at the gunwale. The design is stable and seaworthy...
s, their goal was to scan the surface of the water as far as 10 kilometers into the sea, and to pull out bodies and bring them to shore - Second group, composed of 7 divers, 3 of which were FrenchFrench peopleThe French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
, their goal was to dive as deep as 600 meters scanning for bodies and the two black boxes.
At around 1 O'clock the second team was able to find the first black box, later that day, the other box was found. Searching and rescuing continued later that night.
On the third day, a meeting with the officials from Benin, Lebanon, and France was held at the airport to discuss and asses the situation, and concluded that it was time to return to Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
.
Returning to Lebanon
At 01:10 p.m. of the third day, a plane carrying the team and Lebanese officials, in addition to the bodies of the victims took off to Lebanon, and arrived to Beirut International Airport at around 9 p.m. The team directly left the airport to their base to present a report about the mission.The team
The rescue team included ten members:- Colonel George Chraim, commander of the Lebanese Navy SEALs regiment.
- Captain Fadi Makhoul
- Captain Haidar Skini
- Captain Fadi Kfoury
- First Class Sergeant Mohamed Mrad
- First Class Sergeant Simon Makhlouf
- First Class Sergeant Talal Zein
- First Class Sergeant Mohamed Msheimesh
- Corporal Antranique Youssef