April 27, 1993: A DHC-5 Buffalo plane, owned by the Zambian Air Force, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean after taking off from Libreville, the capital of the African nation of Gabon. All 30 people on board were killed. This included all but 1 member of the national soccer team of the African nation of Zambia.
The aircraft entered service in 1975. The plane had been out of service for 5 months from late 1992 until April 21, 1993. Test flights were carried out on April 22 and 26. Prior to the departure for Senegal, checks revealed a number of defects in the engine: Carbon particles in oil filters, disconnected cables and trace of heating. However, the flight went ahead as scheduled.
The plane took off from the Zambian capital of Lusaka, and was supposed to make 3 refueling stops en route to Dakar, Senegal, where Zambia was to play Senegal in a qualification match for the 1994 World Cup, to be held in America. The 1st stop was successfully made in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo (not to be confused with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, then known as Zaire). The 2nd was made at Libreville, Gabon, but the plane crashed shortly thereafter. The 3rd stop was intended in Abidjan, the capital of the Ivory Coast.
Johnson Bwalya was working his way back from injury, and was going to rejoin the team in Dakar. As he wasn't able to get on the plane, he was the one player who did not die in the crash.
The official investigation concluded that the pilot had shut down the wrong engine following an engine fire. It also found that pilot fatigue and a faulty instrument had contributed to the accident.
Somehow, the team was rebuilt in time to reach the Final of the 1994 African Cup of Nations, losing to Nigeria in Tunisia. They did not, however, reach the 1994 World Cup. Through 2022, they have still never qualified for one.
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April 27, 1993 was a Tuesday. These Major League Baseball games were played that day:
* The New York Yankees beat the California Angels, 5-0 at Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim). Jimmy Key allowed only 1 hit, a single by Gary DiSarcina in the 6th inning. He also made an error to allow Tim Salmon to reach 1st base in the 4th, and walked Salmon in the 7th. Mike Gallego hit 2 home runs, and Bernie Williams and Bernie Williams and Danny Tartabull also homered.
* The New York Mets lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-1 at Shea Stadium.
* The San Francisco Giants beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-3 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Barry Bonds went 1-for-3 with a walk and 2 RBIs.
* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Atlanta Braves, 6-2 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Braves reliever Mike Stanton collapsed in the top of the 11th inning.
* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Texas Rangers, 4-3 at the SkyDome (now the Rogers Centre) in Toronto.
* The Florida Marlins beat the Cincinnati Reds, 4-3 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati.
* The Chicago White Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles, 9-4 at the new Comiskey Park (now Rate Field) in Chicago. Cal Ripken went 0-for-4.
* The Kansas City Royals beat the Detroit Tigers, 4-3 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. Jose Lind won the game with a single in the bottom of the 10th inning. George Brett, in his last season, went 1-for-4 with a walk.
* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Minnesota Twins, 3-2 at Milwaukee County Stadium.
* The Houston Astros beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 9-2 at the Astrodome in Houston.
* The Colorado Rockies beat the Chicago Cubs, 11-2 at Mile High Stadium in Denver.
* The San Diego Padres beat the Montreal Expos, 4-1 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. Tony Gwynn went 1-for-3 with a walk.
* The Oakland Athletics beat the Boston Red Sox, 7-2 at the Oakland Coliseum. Rickey Henderson went 1-for-3.
* The Seattle Mariners beat the Cleveland Indians, 4-0 at the Kingdome in Seattle. Three Mariner pitchers, starting with 5 innings from Chris Bosio, pitched a 4-hit shutout.
The NBA was between the end of its regular season and the start of its Playoffs. But there were 3 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs:
* In an "Original Six" matchup, the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Detroit Red Wings, 5-4 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Mile Foligno scored the winning goal, 2:05 into overtime.
* The Los Angeles Kings beat the Calgary Flames, 9-4 at the Saddledome in Calgary.
* And the Winnipeg Jets beat the Vancouver Canucks, 4-3 at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver. Teemu Selanne scored the winning goal, 6:18 into overtime.
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