2025 Light Air Services Beechcraft 1900 crash
 The aircraft involved in the accident in March 2016, while still in storage with Eagle Airways | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 29 January 2025 |
| Summary | Crashed after takeoff, under investigation |
| Site | Near GPOC Unity Airstrip, Rubkona County, Unity State, South Sudan 9°28′0″N 29°40′22″E / 9.46667°N 29.67278°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Beechcraft 1900D |
| Operator | Eagle Air on behalf of Light Air Services |
| Registration | 5X-RHB |
| Flight origin | GPOC Unity Airstrip, Rubkona County, Unity State, South Sudan |
| Destination | Juba International Airport, Juba, South Sudan |
| Occupants | 21 |
| Passengers | 19 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Fatalities | 20 |
| Injuries | 1 |
| Survivors | 1 |
On 29 January 2025, a Beechcraft 1900D operated by Eagle Air on behalf of Light Air Services crashed in Unity State, located in the Greater Upper Nile region of South Sudan. The aircraft was on a routine scheduled charter flight from GPOC Unity Airstrip to Juba International Airport when it crashed shortly after takeoff, killing 20 out of 21 on board. The aircraft was transporting oil workers to the South Sudanese capital Juba.[1]
Background
[edit]Aircraft
[edit]The aircraft involved was a 23-year-old twin engined turboprop Beechcraft 1900D originally registered as N60069 before being delivered to New Zealand's Eagle Airways as ZK-EAF in 2002. Ugandan airline Eagle Air purchased the frame in 2016, bearing the registration 5X-RHB. The aircraft was stored until it was leased to Light Air Services in 2017.[2]
Passengers and crew
[edit]There were 21 people aboard the aircraft: 19 passengers and 2 pilots. Sixteen of the passengers were South Sudanese, while one Indian, two Chinese nationals and two Ugandan crew were also on board.[3] The aircraft was operated by Light Air Services aviation company and was chartered by the passengers' employer, the Chinese petroleum firm Greater Pioneer Oil Company (GPOC), which is a consortium of China National Petroleum Corporation and Nile Petroleum Corporation.[1][4][5]
Accident
[edit]The aircraft was performing a regularly scheduled charter flight.[6][7] At around 10:30 am local time, approximately 10 minutes after takeoff, the aircraft lost height and crashed into the ground. A witness reported that a wing had snapped off, resulting in the aircraft losing altitude.[8] Pictures shared on social media showed that debris were scattered across the site of the crash with the aircraft upside down.[1][9] Twenty of the twenty-one people on board were killed, including two who later died in hospital. The sole survivor of the crash was identified as South Sudanese engineer Emmanuel Maker, who was taken to the state hospital in Bentiu in critical condition.[10]
Investigation
[edit]Saleh Akot, the director of Juba International Airport, said that the South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority deployed a team to the crash site to start the investigation.[11] South Sudan Oil Minister Puot Kang Chol said an investigation into the cause of crash is underway, with his ministry cooperating with the Ministry of Transport, other local authorities and emergency services to ensure that a thorough examination is conducted.[10] Authorities have not yet disclosed preliminary findings on the cause of the crash.[12] Ter Manyang Gatwech, head of the Center for Peace and Advocacy (CPA), alleged that the accident was caused by the South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority's poor enforcement of safety standards, allowing aging and outdated aircraft to fly in South Sudan.[13]
The National Minister of Transport said its air crash investigation department will retrieve the flight recorder from the wreckage of the crash and send it to the United States for further analysis.[14]
Responses
[edit]The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed condolences in a press statement.[15]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Plane crash in South Sudan kills at least 20 people". Al Jazeera. 29 January 2025. Archived from the original on 30 January 2025. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
- ^ "5X-RHB". Airport-Data.com. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
- ^ "South Sudan plane crash kills at least 20, leaves only one survivor". BBC News. 29 January 2025. Retrieved 30 January 2025.
- ^ Machol, Deng (29 January 2025). "20 killed when a Chinese oil company's flight crashes in South Sudan". Associated Press. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
- ^ "Plane crash in South Sudan kills 20 oil workers". Reuters. 29 January 2025. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
- ^ "Le crash d'un Beechcraft 1900 au Soudan du Sud fait 20 morts" [The Crash of a Beechcraft 1900 in South Sudan Leaves 20 Dead]. Air Journal (in French). 30 January 2025. Retrieved 30 January 2025.
- ^ "Soudan du Sud : 20 morts dans le crash d'un avion" [South Sudan : 20 dead from the plane crash]. Agence France-Presse (in French). Le Figaro. 29 January 2025. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
- ^ "Eagle B190 at Bentiu on Jan 29th 2025, lost height". AeroInside. 29 January 2025. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
- ^ Hradecky, Simon (29 January 2025). "Crash: Eagle B190 at Bentiu on Jan 29th 2025, lost height". The Aviation Herald. Archived from the original on 30 January 2025. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
- ^ a b Esau, Iain (30 January 2025). "20 Oil Workers and Crew Die in South Sudan Plane Crash". Upstream Online. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
- ^ "South Sudan: At least 19 killed in plane crash". Radio Tamazuj. 29 January 2025. Archived from the original on 29 January 2025. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
- ^ "Kiir orders investigation into deadly plane crash in Unity State". Sudans Post. 30 January 2025. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
- ^ "Gov't to blame for deadly plane crash that killed dozens in Unity State – activist". Sudans Post. 30 January 2025. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
- ^ "Govt to send black box of Unity State plane crash for analysis in U.S." Eye Radio. 30 January 2025.
- ^ "Ethiopia Expresses Condolences Over Plane Crash in South Sudan". ENA English. 31 January 2025. Retrieved 31 January 2025.