On 22 August 2020, a South West AviationAn-26 turboprop aircraft crashed upon taking off from Juba Airport in Juba, South Sudan, for a domestic cargo charter flight to Aweil and to Wau, South Sudan.
South West Aviation Co. Ltd. founded in 2017, is a passenger and cargo airline based in Juba, South Sudan.[2] The airline was responsible for the fatal crash of an L-410 Turbolet in Juba in 2018.[3] In the aftermath of that accident, President Salva Kiir banned aircraft greater than 20 years of age from operating passenger flights.[4]
Accident
The Antonov An-26 freighter registration EX-126 (MSN 11508) performing a charter flight from Juba to Wau with six passengers and three crew lost height shortly after departure from Juba and impacted a farm about 2.5nmi (4.6km) from the runway.[1] Eyewitnesses report that the aircraft suddenly lost power[citation needed] and crashed in the Hai Referendum residential area.[4] Weather is not believed to be a factor.[citation needed] Eight people in the aircraft (three South Sudanese and five Russians) were killed.[5] There was one reported survivor who was taken to a hospital in critical condition. According to South Sudanese Transport Minister Madut Biar Yol there were five crew members, all Russian nationals.[6]
According to early reports, the plane crashed into a residential area. It burned as residents approached it.[7]
Some reports indicated the aircraft was on a charter flight for the World Food Programme (WFP) when it crashed,[8] but the WFP denied having any connection to the flight, saying that the aircraft had been chartered by Galaxy Star International, a local company that provides services to the WFP and other UN agencies.[9]
Investigation
South Sudan's Aircraft Accident Incident Investigation Department (AAIID) was unable to establish the cause of the crash, but determined that the flight violated regulations, as the plane lacked a valid airworthiness certificate and South West Aviation did not hold an air operator's certificate.[1][10]
Reactions
South Sudanese president Salva Kiir called upon the Ministry of Transportation to "adhere to international standards" when assessing the airworthiness of aircraft adding "I know that it is hard to cope with the tragedy of this nature, but let us work hard to find the cause of this accident and use the lessons learned from it to prevent the occurrence of similar tragedies in the future".[11]
↑ "South West Aviation Co. Ltd". Retrieved 23 August 2020. South West Aviation is a licensed passenger and cargo airline that acquired its air service license from the South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority in the year 2017[permanent dead link]
The Antonov An-26 is a twin-engined turboprop civilian and military transport aircraft, designed and produced in the Soviet Union from 1969 to 1986.
Aerolift was a South African airline based in Bryanston, Gauteng, Johannesburg, operating chartered passenger and cargo flights within Africa using Soviet-built aircraft. Aerolift also offered aircraft lease services. The airline was launched in 2002 and shut down in 2009 following two fatal accidents that had occurred in the same year.
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Juba Air Cargo was a cargo airline based in Khartoum, Sudan. It was established in 1996 and operated domestic cargo services. Its main base was at Khartoum International Airport. In 2008 the airline ceased all operations.
Yirol Airport is an airport in South Sudan. It has a single unpaved runway.
Sudan Airways Flight 2241 was a scheduled cargo flight from Sharjah, United Arab Emirates to Khartoum, Sudan operated by a Boeing 707-330C which crashed on 21 October 2009.
On 11 November 2010, an Antonov An-24 passenger aircraft of Tarco Air on a domestic service from Khartoum to Zalingei, Sudan, crashed on landing at Zalingei Airport, bursting into flames on the runway. Two passengers died, although reports on the number of fatalities varied from one to six.
Juba International Airport is a multi-use international airport serving Juba, the capital city of South Sudan. The airport is located 5 km (3.1 mi) northeast of the city's central business district, on the western banks of the White Nile. The city and airport are located in South Sudan's Central Equatoria State.
On 19 August 2012, an Antonov An-26 airplane of Alfa Airlines crashed near the town of Talodi, Sudan, killing all 32 occupants on board. The aircraft was carrying a Sudanese government delegation, and among the victims were members of the Sudanese government, several high-ranking members of the Sudanese Armed Forces and other officials, and a television crew.
The South Sudan Air Force (SSAF), also previously known as the Sudan People's Air Force or Sudan People's Liberation Air Force, is the air force of the South Sudan People's Defense Forces (SSPDF) of South Sudan. The headquarters are located in Juba Air Base, Juba.
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On 4 November 2015, an Antonov An-12 cargo aircraft crashed near the White Nile shortly after takeoff from Juba International Airport serving Juba, the capital city of South Sudan. At least 37 people were killed, including the crew of six. The crash is the deadliest aviation accident to have occurred in South Sudan since independence in 2011.
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On 9 September 2018, en route from Juba International Airport to Yirol Airport, a Let L-410 Turbolet aircraft crashed, carrying a total of 23 passengers and crew, of which 20 were killed on impact, including the Anglican Bishop of Yirol, Simon Adut Yuang. The small plane crashed into Lake Yirol amid heavy fog and poor visibility.
This article lists events from the year 2019 in South Sudan
South West Aviation Co. Ltd. is a passenger and cargo airline based in Juba, South Sudan.
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