2024 Malakal Airport collision

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2024 Malakal Airport collision
Accident
Date31 March 2024 (2024-03-31)
Summary Runway excursion following runway undershoot, under investigation
Site Malakal Airport, South Sudan
9°33′09″N31°38′45″E / 9.552428°N 31.645778°E / 9.552428; 31.645778
Total fatalities0
Total injuries1
Total survivors7
First aircraft
Safe Air Company Boeing 727-2Q9(Adv)(F) 5Y-IRE Johannesburg O.R. Tambo Int'l - FAOR, South Africa Dec 30, 2021.jpg
5Y-IRE, one of the aircrafts involved in the accident
Type Boeing 727-2Q9F
OperatorSafe Air Company
Registration 5Y-IRE
Flight origin Juba International Airport, South Sudan
Destination Malakal Airport, South Sudan
Occupants7
Passengers1
Crew6
Fatalities0
Injuries1
Survivors7
Second aircraft
African Express Airways McDonnell Douglas MD-82 5Y-AXL Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta Int'l - HKJK, Kenya Nov 15, 2022 (cropped).jpg
5Y-AXL, one of the aircrafts involved in the accident
Type McDonnell Douglas MD-82
Operator African Express Airways
Registration5Y-AXL
Occupants0

On 31 March 2024, a Boeing 727-200 operated by Safe Air Company scheduled to fly from Juba International Airport to Malakal Airport, South Sudan, undershot the runway after experiencing technical issues. The plane collided into a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 that had crashed around two months earlier in the same airport. Out of the seven occupants on board, everyone survived with only one injured.

Contents

Background

On 9 February 2024, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 registered 5Y-AXL and operated by African Express Airways crashed in similar circumstances as the Safe Air Boeing 727 did at Malakal Airport, South Sudan; the aircraft touched down short of the runway and lost its landing gear, before coming to a stop on its belly. It was later removed from the runway to allow the airport to restart operations. [1]

Aircraft

The first aircraft involved in the collision was a 45-year-old Boeing 727-2Q9 Advanced registered as 5Y-IRE with serial numbers 21931/1531. It was first delivered to Avianca in 1979. [2] [3] The aircraft was powered by three Pratt & Whitney JT8D-17R S3 engines. [3]

The second aircraft involved was a 39-year-old McDonnell Douglas MD-82 registered 5Y-AXL with serial numbers 49204/1179. It was first delivered to Alitalia in 1985. The aircraft was powered by two Pratt & Whitney JT8D-217A/C engines. [4] [5]

Accident

On 31 March 2024, the Boeing 727-200 took off from Juba Airport carrying supplies and other cargo. After an hour, they finished cruising and were descending when they started to experience technical problems with the aircraft. They decided to make an emergency landing, performed by the captain. Upon approach, the plane touched down a few meters off of the runway, causing the tires to burst. The captain lost control of the aircraft, sending it hurdling off of the runway, and finally striking the previously mentioned McDonnel Douglas MD-82 that was off of the runway. It sustained substantial damage, while the Boeing 727 split into two parts, thus being written off. There were no fatalities and one reported injury. [6] [7] [8] [9]

Investigation

An investigation is currently ongoing to try to figure out why the aircraft crashed.[ citation needed ]

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References

  1. "Accident McDonnell Douglas MD-82 5Y-AXL,". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 27 February 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  2. "5X-IRE SKA Group". OneSpotter.com. Archived from the original on 1 April 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  3. 1 2 "5Y-IRE accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Flight Safety Foundation . Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  4. "5Y-AXL AFRICAN EXPRESS AIRWAYS MCDONNELL DOUGLAS MD-82 (DC-9-82)". Planespotters.net. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  5. "MCDONNELL DOUGLAS MD-82 - MSN 49204 | 5Y-AXL". Airfleets.net. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  6. Ranabhat, Sharad (31 March 2024). "Safe Air Boeing 727 collides with disabled MD-82 while landing in South Sudan". AIRLIVE. Archived from the original on 1 April 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  7. Gleadow, Ewan (31 March 2024). "Boeing 727 loses control and crashes during landing in 'terrifying incident'". The Mirror US. Archived from the original on 1 April 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  8. "Boeing Plane Crash in Sudan: Safe Air Flight Crashes at Malakal Airfield". LatestLY. 31 March 2024. Archived from the original on 1 April 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  9. Hradecky, Simon (1 April 2024) [2024-03-31]. "Accident: Safe B722 at Malakal on Mar 31st 2024, landed short of runway and collided with MD-82". The Aviation Herald . Retrieved 2 April 2024.