Sudan’s Government is banning operations by Russian-built Ilyushin and Ukrainian Antonov aircraft following yesterday’s fatal Ilyushin Il-76 accident at Khartoum, the latest in a series of recent losses involving Sudanese aircraft.
The Government has also dismissed the former director-general for civil aviation and named a new chief to head the organisation.
All four crew members on board the Il-76, bound for Juba, were killed when the aircraft – transporting 36t of cargo – failed to gain altitude after departing Khartoum and crashed about 1km from the end of the runway.
Images from the scene show the aircraft bore the marking ‘76009’, identifying the transport as Ababeel Aviation’s aircraft ST-WTB, which previously operated under the registration UN-76009.
Loss of the Il-76 followed the crash of a Juba Air Cargo Antonov An-12, outside Malakal, three days previously and the 10 June fatal landing accident at Khartoum involving a Sudan Airways Airbus A310.
Sudanese freight operator Kata Air Transport also lost an An-32 during landing at the Moldovan capital Chisinau on 11 April, while Juba Air Cargo’s other An-12 was destroyed in a landing accident at Khartoum in November last year (see image).
The governmental news agency in Sudan says that the Government declared more than a year ago that Soviet-era types were unfit for freight transport, but that private carriers have persisted with using them because they are affordable.
Sudanese president Omar Al-Bashir has appointed Ibrahim Abdulla Abdul Karim to take over the director-general position of the civil aviation administration, as part of the inquiry process.
The image below is of the northern end of Khartoum Airport and appears to show the wreckage of the An-12 that crashed on landing in November:
Source: FlightGlobal.com
