Airbus A319 incident near Hassi Messaoud, Dz, September 22, 2011
On September 22, 2011 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Airbus A319, registered FGRXN, was involved in an incident during enroute (cruise) near Hassi Messaoud. It was flown under non-U.S. commercial rules. The NTSB record does not give the injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 22, 2011 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Hassi Messaoud, Algeria
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- The NTSB record does not give the injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airbus A319 115 · all A319s on the register
- Registration
- FGRXN · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · non-U.S. commercial rules
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On September 22, 2011, about 2300 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), Air France flight 558, an Airbus A319, F-GRXN, declared an emergency during cruise flight following an indication of smoke in the lavatory. The crew and passengers were not injured, and the airplane sustained no damage. The flight departed Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris, France (LFPG), non-stop to N'Djamena International Airport, N'Djamena, Chad (FTTJ). The airplane diverted to Hassi Messaoud/Oued Irara - Krim Belkacem Airport, Algeria (DAUH), and landed without incident. The airplane was subsequently examined, and no indications of fire were noted. The forward galley air-chiller unit was removed for further examination. The investigation has been delegated to the French Bureau d'Enquetes et d'Analyses pour la Securite de l'Aviation Civile (BEA) by the government of Algeria. The BEA has requested assistance from the NTSB in this investigation. Further information pertaining to this incident may be obtained from: Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation civile Bâtiment 153 Aéroport du Bourget 93350 Le Bourget France http://www.bea-fr.org This report is for information purposes only and contains only information obtained for, or released by, the Government of France.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Fire/smoke (non-impact) during enroute (cruise) defining event
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Operator: Air France
The flight
- Departed from: LFPG Paris at 8:55 pm
- Destination: FTTJ N'Djamena
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.