Mirage returned by Malta crashes in Libya

One of the two Libyan Mirage F1 aircraft that were held in Malta during the Libyan uprising is believed to have crashed today.

Aviation websites quoting unofficial sources said the plane crashed near Kasr El Hamrouniya Ben Gashir and was damaged beyond repair.

Informed sources said the aircraft appeared to have been No.502. The circumstances of the crash and the fate of the pilot are not known.

The two Mirages flew back to Libya on February 22, a year after they were flown to Malta by pilots who opted to defect rather than bomb fellow Libyans in Benghazi. Malta had refused to hand the fighters back to Libya until the uprising ended.

The other Mirage, number 508, is at Mitiga military base.

Report by the Times of Malta.

Photos by Ray Abela

AP Screener