102 people died on Air Algérie Flight 6289 in 2003, but there was a sole survivor

One man was able to survive a plane crash by completely ignoring all of the safety protocols.

Flight safety measures are there for a reason, but somehow a man managed to survive a deadly crash but ignoring one of the most basic flight rules.

However we’ve all heard the old wives’ tale that you won’t die before it’s your time – and the events of Air Algérie flight 6289 make a serious case for this idea being true.

What happened to Air Algérie flight 6289?

On 6 March 2003, Air Algérie Flight 6289 was scheduled to make a double domestic flight from the southern Algerian city of Tamanrasset to the capital city of Algiers, via the city of Ghardaïa.

The crash happened on a Air Algérie flight. (Fabrizio Gandolfo/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

However things went wrong just moments after the plane took off from the Saharan city, with crew on the ground at Tamanrasset airport hearing a loud bang from the left engine.

The emergency situation caught the two pilots off guard, as Captain Boualem Benaouicha had arrived late to the aircraft, leaving First Officer Fatima Yousfi to run through pre-flight checks on her own. The pair also had not completed the relevant security checks before departing.

The crash killed 102 people (Algeria Ministry of Transport)

Having not discussed emergency protocol before departing, the two pilots argued for control of the aircraft, which would eventually stall and slam into the ground.

Flight 6289 would burst into flames upon impact, with investigators would later deducing that the aircraft’s full load of fuel rendered it impossible for anyone to survive the blaze.

The flight was carrying 97 passengers and six members of crew, with the crash killing 102 out of the 103 people onboard.

How did one passenger manage to survive?

Seated on the last row of the aircraft was 28-year-old Algerian soldier Youcef Djillali.

It’s reported that Djillali had managed to avoid being killed in the fireball after being ejected from the aircraft upon impact.

Footage of the aftermath of the Air Algérie flight 6289 crash. (Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives)

Djillali was found in a coma with multiple injuries, however he would later be able to regain consciousness.

You may be wondering how the solider was survive such a crash. Divine intervention? Sheer luck?

Well, the official report states: “Only one passenger, seated in the last row and with seat belt unattached, according to his statement, was ejected from the plane by the impact and escaped from the accident.”

However don’t take this as your sign to start flying without buckling your seatbelt as you are statistically safer buckling in.

What happened to Djillali was most likely a complete one-off. In-fact, you’re more likely to encounter an injury – or even death – should you be caught in turbulence without a seatbelt on.