2018 South West Aviation Let L-410 Turbolet crash
On 9 September 2018, en route from Juba International Airport to Yirol Airport, a Let L-410 Turbolet aircraft crashed, carrying a total of 23 passengers and crew, of which 20 were killed on impact, including the Anglican Bishop of Yirol, Simon Adut Yuang.[1][2][3] The small plane crashed into Lake Yirol amid heavy fog and poor visibility.[1][4]
 A Let L-410 Turbolet similar to the accident aircraft. | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | September 9, 2018 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain caused by pilot error and bad weather |
| Site | Lake Yirol, near Yirol Airport, South Sudan 6°34′32.6″N 30°29′46.3″E / 6.575722°N 30.496194°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Let L-410UVP |
| Operator | Slaver Company for South West Aviation |
| Registration | UR-TWO |
| Flight origin | Juba International Airport |
| Destination | Yirol Airport |
| Occupants | 23 |
| Passengers | 20 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Fatalities | 20 |
| Survivors | 3 |
Aircraft history
editThe aircraft, registered UR-TWO, operated by Ukrainian carrier Slaver Kompani for South Sudan-based South West Aviation, had been delivered to Aeroflot in 1984, then transferred to various operators until 2006, when it was placed in storage in Rivne, Ukraine. In April 2018, the plane was acquired by Slaver Kompani and wet-leased since May.[5]
The Let 410 UVP had landed in Juba on the same morning as the accident, piloted by a different crew from the one that would then conduct the flight to Yirol.[6]
Accident
editOn 9 September 2018 at 08.00 local time (05.00 UTC), the Let 410 took off from Juba International Airport with destination Yirol Airport, at approximately 122 NM, for an estimated flight time of 45 minutes. The take-off weight was 5,700 kg, of which 3,800 kg was for the aircraft alone.[citation needed]
On-board the flight deck were two Sudanese crew members. Captain Sami Qeily (57), and First Officer Mohamed Shamseddine (27), were the pilot-in-command and second-in-command, respectively. While both of their flight time logs were destroyed in the crash, they were rated in flying the Let-410.[7]
Investigation
editDespite the Flight Data Recorder being recovered on 10 September and the Cockpit Voice Recorder on 30 September, reading out any information on the two devices was impossible as the recording tapes had run out and had not been replaced. The investigation conducted, based on analyses of the wreckage and interviews with witnesses, allowed the accident to be classified as a controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) and the causes of the accident to be traced back to a series of factors:
- The airline did not bother to acquire the weather briefings to give to the crew.
- Taking into account the worsening weather conditions, the pilots should have diverted the flight to an alternate airport but instead continued to fly towards the intended destination despite poor visibility.
- The on-board altimeter was adjusted to an incorrect pressure value, providing higher-than-real altitude indications. The instrument, recovered from the wreckage on the ground, in fact indicated 1,780 ft.[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "South Sudan: Plane crashes into Lake Yirol 'killing 19'". BBC News. 2018-09-09. Archived from the original on 2018-09-10. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
- ^ "At least 19 killed in South Sudan plane crash". Reuters News. 2018-09-09. Archived from the original on 2018-09-09. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
- ^ "Episcopal Church of South Sudan's Bishop of Yirol, Simon Adut Yuang, killed in plane crash". Anglican Communion News Service. 2018-09-10. Archived from the original on 2018-09-11. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
- ^ "Sunday 9 September 2018". aviation-safety.net. Flight Safety Foundation. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
- ^ Kingsley Jones, Max (2018-09-11). "Crashed Let 410 had recently returned from lengthy storage". Flightglobal. Archived from the original on 2018-09-13. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
- ^ "ASN Aircraft accident Let L-410UVP UR-TWO Yirol Airstrip". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
- ^ a b Yengkeji, Jalling Deloro (2019-10-23). "FINAL REPORT OF L-410 UVP UR-TWO - Report for South West Aviation - L-410 UVP (UR-TWO) Crashed, On 9, Sept 2018 - At Yirol, Easten Lake State, Republic Of South Sudan" (PDF). Aviation Safety Network. Republic of South Sudan Ministry of Transport. Retrieved 2024-06-03.