2012 Sudan Antonov An-26 crash

On 19 August 2012, an Antonov An-26 airplane of Alfa Airlines crashed near the town of Talodi, Sudan, killing all 32 persons 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.

2012 Sudan Antonov An-26 crash
ST-ARL, the An-26 involved, pictured a month before the accident
Accident
Date19 August 2012 (2012-08-19)
SummaryUnder investigation
SiteNuba Mountains near Talodi, Sudan
10°38′11″N 30°22′47″E
Aircraft
Aircraft typeAntonov An-26-100
OperatorAlfa Airlines
RegistrationST-ARL
Flight originKhartoum International Airport, Khartoum, Sudan
DestinationTalodi Airstrip, Talodi, Sudan
Occupants32
Passengers26
Crew6
Fatalities32
Survivors0

Crash

The aircraft had taken off from Khartoum International Airport at around 6:02 a.m. local time.[1] Approximately at 8 a.m.,[2] the plane crashed into the Hajar Al-Nar Mountain[3] of the Nuba Mountain range near Talodi, a small town about 600 km (370 mi) southwest of Khartoum.[4] A television statement said that the weather had prevented the aircraft from landing on its first attempt, and on its second attempt, the plane crashed into a mountain.[4] Talodi airfield features a single paved, unmarked runway of 1800 m (5900 ft) length.[5]

Aircraft

Although some early media reports mistakenly announced the crash as a helicopter crash,[6][7][8] the aircraft involved was a twin turboprop Antonov An-26-100, registration ST-ARL,[5][9] chartered by the Sudanese Government and operated by the Sudanese private air carrier Alfa Airlines (ICAO code AAJ).[2]

The aircraft was built in 1974 at the Ukrainian "Aviant" aircraft plant in the Soviet Union.[9] It flew on Soviet and Russian regional routes until July 1998.[9] It was sold to an Armenian air carrier, and then to Trans Attico, Air Libya, Ababeel Aviation, and other air companies in Africa.[9] It was acquired by Alfa Airlines in July 2009 and was modified from Antonov An-26 to Antonov An-26-100 standard at Kiev Aircraft Repair Plant 410 in Ukraine in 2010.[9]

There have been several deadly plane crashes in Sudan in recent years.[4] All Sudanese airlines, including Alfa Airlines, are banned for safety reasons from flying in European airspace.[10] The Sudanese authorities complain that it is difficult to get spare parts because of sanctions the United States has imposed against Khartoum.[4] This crash was the first accident in the history of Alfa Airlines, which was founded only in 2009.[11]

Passengers and crew
NationalityPassengersCrewTotal
Sudan26329
Armenia011
Russia011
Tajikistan011
 Total26632

The chartered plane was carrying a Sudanese government delegation, from the capital of the country, Khartoum, to the town of Talodi in South Kordofan, a war-torn state with ongoing fighting between Sudan's army and rebel groups,[12] for an Eid al-Fitr celebration, to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan.[4]

Among the victims were Guidance and Religious Endowments Minister Ghazi al-Sadiq Abdel Rahim, Justice Party chairman Makki Ali Balayil, State minister at the Youth and Sports Ministry Mahjub Abdel Rahim Tutu, State minister at the Ministry of Tourism, Antiquities and Wildlife Issa Daifallah and several high-ranking members of the security forces.[13][4]

The aircraft, with a crew of six, was flown by a senior Russian captain,[14] assisted by a Sudanese first officer, a 43-year-old navigator from Tajikistan and a 42-year-old Armenian flight engineer.[5][15]

Investigation

An official with Sudan's Civil Aviation Authority said that bad weather was responsible for the crash.[6] The official news agency of Sudan, SUNA, also said the crash happened "due to the bad weather conditions".[3] Minister of Information Ahmed Bilal Osman also added that the plane was attempting to land in bad weather conditions in Talodi, as seasonal heavy rains left the pilots with "zero visibility,"[16] when it crashed into a mountain.[17]

Rebel spokesman Arnu Ngutulu Lodi denied that his rebel forces were involved with the crash, which happened outside of rebel territory.[18]

Two days after the crash, on 21 August, Sudan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) chief Mohammad Abdul-Aziz tendered his resignation to the President of Sudan Omar al-Bashir.[19][19] However, President Bashir rejected his resignation, urging the chief to continue a newly approved program of reforms to the development and supervision of the CAA.[20]

On 24 August, the local government reported the flight recorders have been found and recovered from the crash site.[5]

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References
  1. "Sudan Plane Crash Kills Government Minister, Scores of Senior Officials". NYCAviation. BNO News. 20 August 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  2. "ASN Aircraft accident Antonov 26 registration unknown Talodi". Aviation Safety Network. 19 August 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  3. "Presidency of the Republic Eulogizes Minister of Guidance and Endowments". Sudan News Agency SUNA. 19 August 2012. Archived from the original on 14 May 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  4. "Sudan crash: Minister Ghazi al-Sadiq Abdel Rahim dies". BBC News. 19 August 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  5. "Crash: Alfa Airlines AN26 near Talodi on Aug 19th 2012, impacted mountain during go-around". The Aviation Herald. 19 August 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  6. Bariyo, Nicholas (19 August 2012). "Sudan Helicopter Crash Kills 32". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  7. Osman, Mohamed (19 August 2012). "Sudan Helicopter Crash Kills 32, Deaths Include Government Officials And Generals". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 20 August 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  8. Osman, Mohamed (20 August 2012). "Sudanese helicopter crash kills 32". Boston.com. AP. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  9. "Антонов Ан-26-100. Бортовой №: ST-ARL" [Antonov An-26-100. Tail number: ST-ARL]. RussianPlanes.Net (in Russian). Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  10. "List of air carriers of which all operations are subject to a ban within the EU" (PDF). European Commission. 3 April 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 April 2011. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  11. "Alfa Airlines". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  12. "Sudan officials killed in plane crash". Al Jazeera. 19 August 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  13. "Martyrdom of 32 Persons in Plane Crash in Taludi Area". Sudan News Agency SUNA. 19 August 2012. Archived from the original on 14 May 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  14. Об авиакатастрофе в Судане (in Russian). Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. 20 August 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  15. МИД Армении и Таджикистана подтвердили гибель своих граждан в авиакатастрофе в Судане. Moskovskij Komsomolets (in Russian). RIA Novosti. 21 August 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  16. "32 confirmed dead in Sudan crash". Irish Examiner. 19 August 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  17. "Sudanese Official Among 32 Killed in Plane Crash". The New York Times. 19 August 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  18. Ali, Abdelmoneim Abu Edris (19 August 2012). "Sudan minister among 32 dead in Eid plane crash". AFP. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  19. "Sudan's aviation authority chief resigns over plane crash". Kuwait News Agency KUNA. 21 August 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  20. "Sudan president rejects resignation of aviation chief". Kuwait News Agency KUNA. 23 August 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
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