1998 Sudanese Air Force Antonov An-32 crash

1998 Sudanese Air Force Antonov An-32 crash

An Antonov An-32 similar to the aircraft involved
Accident
Date	12 February 1998
Summary	Runway overshoot in inclement weather
Site	Nasir, South Sudan 8°36′58″N33°04′04″E / 8.61616°N 33.06766°E / 8.61616; 33.06766
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Antonov An-32
Operator	Sudanese Air Force
Registration	7744
Flight origin	Malakal Airport, South Sudan
Destination	Nasir Airport, South Sudan
Occupants	57
Passengers	50
Crew	7
Fatalities	26
Survivors	31

On 12 February 1998, a Sudanese Air Force Antonov An-32 crashed in Nasir killing several of the country's most senior government leaders, including the Vice-President Zubair Mohamed Salih. ^{[1] [2]}

On the morning of 12 February 1998, the pilots of a Sudanese Air Force Antonov An-32 turboprop attempted to land at Nasir Airport. The craft overshot the end of the runway and slid into the Sobat River. ^[3] The Sudanese government announced that fog and strong winds had caused the crash. ^[4] The SPLA's spokesman in Nairobi announced that the crash had not been an accident, but had been caused by an SPLA attack. ^[1]

Casualties

Of the 57 crew and passengers on board, 26 drowned in the river. Among the dead were:

• Salih, the vice-president
• Musa Sayed Ahmed, Director General of the Supreme Council for Peace
• Arok Thon Arok, an ex-rebel turned government army officer ^[5]
• Timothy Tutlam, director of the Relief Association of Southern Sudan ^[6]

Information Minister Brigadier Mohamad Kheir and another minister survived. ^{[7] [8]}

References

1. McKinley, James (13 February 1998). "Influential Sudan Official Is Killed in Plane Crash". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
2. Taban, Alfred (13 February 2013). "Sudan's First Vice President killed in plane crash". Reuters – AlertNet. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
3. Committee for Peace and Reconstruction in Sudan. (28 February 1998). "Nasir Plane Crash". Sudan Update. 9 (4): 1. ISSN   1352-0393 . Retrieved 30 August 2013.
4. "Air Crash Kills High Sudanese Leaders". AP. 13 February 1998.
5. "Vice President of Sudan dies in plane crash". CBC News. 12 February 1998. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
6. Quantin, Patrick (2005). Gouverner les sociétés africaines: acteurs et institutions. Paris: Karthala. p. 296. ISBN   978-2-84586-644-7.
7. "Sudanese Vice President killed in plane crash". BBC News. 12 February 1998. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
8. "Sudan buries plane crash victims". BBC News. 13 February 1998. Retrieved 30 August 2013.