Sudan Airways Flight 109
Encyclopedia
Sudan Airways Flight 109 was a scheduled flight from Amman
, Jordan
, to Khartoum International Airport
, Sudan
, by way of Damascus
, Syria
. At approximately 17:00 UTC on 10 June 2008 it crashed on landing in Khartoum
.
The Airbus A310
broke apart and subsequently caught fire. The flight had previously diverted to Port Sudan
due to weather at Khartoum. This was the second plane crash in Sudan in two months; in May 2008, a plane crash in the southern part of the country killed 24 people, including members of the autonomous Southern Sudanese government.
reported that there was a sandstorm in the area at the time of the crash, however, other sources say the plane landed safely, but the right engine exploded ten seconds after landing, before it had come to a full stop.
A death toll of 120 given earlier by officials was later said to be incorrect. Major-General Mohamed Osman Mahjoub told Reuters that authorities had so far counted 123 survivors from 217 people on board the plane and that 28 bodies were in the local mortuary. That would leave 66 people unaccounted for.
This assessment rose to "at least 28" dead, while 171 passengers survived, and 14 still were missing according to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) spokesman Abdel Hafiz Abdel Rahim. Earlier reports indicated 13 crew survivors and one crew missing.
By June 11, the CAA assessed that there were thirty dead, including one hostess, while the 178 known survivors included ten crew. Six passengers remained unaccounted for.
from 1990 until 2001 under registration 9V-STU. It was then re-registered to Air India
as VT-EVF from 2001 until 2007. It was again re-registered to Sudan Airways
as ST-ATN from 14 September 2007. It was delivered to Sudan Airways on 1 December 2007.
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
, Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
, to Khartoum International Airport
Khartoum International Airport
Khartoum International Airport is an airport in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan.It will be replaced with a new airport 40 kilometers south of the centre of Khartoum by 2012...
, Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, by way of Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. At approximately 17:00 UTC on 10 June 2008 it crashed on landing in Khartoum
Khartoum
Khartoum is the capital and largest city of Sudan and of Khartoum State. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile flowing west from Ethiopia. The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran"...
.
The Airbus A310
Airbus A310
The Airbus A310 is a medium- to long-range twin-engine widebody jet airliner. Launched in July 1978, it was the second aircraft created by Airbus Industrie,a consortium of European aerospace companies, Airbus is now fully owned by EADS and since 2001 has been known as Airbus SAS. the consortium of...
broke apart and subsequently caught fire. The flight had previously diverted to Port Sudan
Port Sudan
Port Sudan is the capital of Red Sea State, Sudan; it has 489,725 residents . Located on the Red Sea, it is the Republic of Sudan's main port city.-History:...
due to weather at Khartoum. This was the second plane crash in Sudan in two months; in May 2008, a plane crash in the southern part of the country killed 24 people, including members of the autonomous Southern Sudanese government.
Cause
The police chief in the area attributed the accident to bad weather. He said the weather "caused the plane to crash land, split into two and catch fire." BBC NewsBBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
reported that there was a sandstorm in the area at the time of the crash, however, other sources say the plane landed safely, but the right engine exploded ten seconds after landing, before it had come to a full stop.
Casualties
Many of the casualties were reported to be children with disabilities and seniors returning from treatment in Amman.A death toll of 120 given earlier by officials was later said to be incorrect. Major-General Mohamed Osman Mahjoub told Reuters that authorities had so far counted 123 survivors from 217 people on board the plane and that 28 bodies were in the local mortuary. That would leave 66 people unaccounted for.
This assessment rose to "at least 28" dead, while 171 passengers survived, and 14 still were missing according to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) spokesman Abdel Hafiz Abdel Rahim. Earlier reports indicated 13 crew survivors and one crew missing.
By June 11, the CAA assessed that there were thirty dead, including one hostess, while the 178 known survivors included ten crew. Six passengers remained unaccounted for.
Aircraft history
Airbus A310-324 hull number 548 was built in 1990 and first flew on 23 August of that year under test registration F-WWCV. It served with Singapore AirlinesSingapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines Limited is the flag carrier airline of Singapore. Singapore Airlines operates a hub at Changi Airport and has a strong presence in the Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and "Kangaroo Route" markets...
from 1990 until 2001 under registration 9V-STU. It was then re-registered to Air India
Air India
Air India is the flag carrier airline of India. It is part of the government of India owned Air India Limited . The airline operates a fleet of Airbus and Boeing aircraft serving Asia, Australia, Europe and North America. Its corporate office is located at the Air India Building at Nariman...
as VT-EVF from 2001 until 2007. It was again re-registered to Sudan Airways
Sudan Airways
Sudan Airways is the national airline of Sudan, headquartered in Khartoum. The airline operates under the IATA airline designator SD and the ICAO airline designator SUD, while its callsign is SUDANAIR....
as ST-ATN from 14 September 2007. It was delivered to Sudan Airways on 1 December 2007.
Notable passengers
- Abbas al-FadiniAbbas al-FadiniAbbas al-Fadini is a member of the Parliament of Sudan and of the Forum of African and Arab Parliamentarians on Population and Development.On 10 June 2008 he survived the fire of Sudan Airways Flight 109.-References:...
(Member of the Parliament of Sudan) - Survived unscathed