Sudan Airways Flight 109

Infobox Aircraft accident
name = PAGENAME
date = June 10, 2008
type = Under Investigation (Possibly weather-induced)
site = Khartoum
coords =
aircraft_type = Airbus A310-324
aircraft_name =
operator = Sudan Airways
tail_number = airreg|ST|ATN
chassis_number= 548
origin = Queen Alia International Airport, Amman, Jordan
stopover = Damascus International Airport, Damascus, Syria
stopover0 =
stopover1 =
stopover2 =
stopover3 =
last_stopover = Port Sudan
destination = Khartoum International Airport, Khartoum, Sudan
passengers = 203
crew = 11
injuries = Unknown
fatalities = 30 confirmed,
6 missing
survivors = 168 passengers,
10 crew

Sudan Airways Flight 109Sudan Airways' only flight from Amman to Khartoum is an A310 operating [http://www.sudanair.com/timetable_middle_east.htm flight 109.] ] was a scheduled flight from Amman, Jordan, to Khartoum International Airport, Sudan, by way of Damascus, Syria.cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/sudan-air-crash-kills-more-than-100-people-844341.html|title=Dozens killed in Sudan air crash|author=Andrew Heavens|publisher=The Independent|accessdate=14 June|accessyear=2008] At approximately 17:00 UTC on 10 June 2008 it crashed on landing in Khartoum.cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/06/10/sudan.plane/index.html | title=Passenger plane crashes in flames in Sudan | accessdate=2008-06-10 | publisher=CNN]

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.cite web | url = http://www.pr-inside.com/investigation-under-way-in-sudan-jet-r638108.htm| publisher = AP| author = Mohammed Osman, Angela Doland, El Deeb | title = Investigation under way in Sudan jet fire, official says at least 30 dead| accessdate =2008-06-11]

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." [ [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/sudan/2107007/Sudan-plane-crash-100-feared-dead.html "Sudan plane crash: 100 feared dead"] "The Telegraph"] BBC News 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.cite web | url = http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article27473| publisher = Sudan Tribune| title = Sudan Airway Airbus crashes at Khartoum airport| accessdate = 2008-06-11]

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.cite web | url = http://uk.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUKL1047017220080610?sp=true| publisher = Reuters| author = Jonathan Wright | title = Official says Sudan plane death toll 28| accessdate = 2008-06-11]

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.cite web | url = http://uk.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUKL1047017220080611?sp=true| publisher = Reuters| author = Andrew Heavens, Diana Abdallah, Jonathan Wright, Matthew Tostevin (ed.) | title = At least 29 killed in Sudanese airliner blaze| accessdate =2008-06-11] cite web | url = http://www.caa-sudan.net/aspx_files/view_news2_parag.aspx?var_title=Sudan%20Airways%20Airbus%20310%20Crash&var_serial=52&var_picname=1106| publisher = Sudan Civil Aviation Authority| title = Sudan Airways Airbus 310 Crash| accessdate = 2008-06-11] 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.cite web | url = http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article27490| publisher = Sudan Tribune| title = 30 people killed in Sudan Airways crash - statement| accessdate = 2008-06-12]

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 Airlines from 1990 until 2001 under registration 9V-STU.cite web | url = http://www.airframes.org/reg/9vstu| publisher = Airframes.org| title = 9V-STU| accessdate = 2008-06-11 ] cite web | url = http://www.airfleets.net/ficheapp/plane-a310-548.htm| publisher = AirFleets.net| title = A310-548| accessdate = 2008-06-11] It was then re-registered to Air India as VT-EVF from 2001 until 2007.cite web | url = http://www.airframes.org/reg/vtevf| publisher = Airframes.org| title = VT-EVF| accessdate = 2008-06-11] It was again re-registered to Sudan Airways as ST-ATN from 14 September 2007.cite web | url = http://www.airframes.org/reg/statn| publisher = Airframes.org| title = ST-ATN| accessdate = 2008-06-11] It was delivered to Sudan Airways 1 December, 2007.

Ongoing

The aircraft carried $16 million in insurance on its hull.cite web | url = http://www.postmagazine.co.uk/public/showPage.html?page=post_breakingnews_story&tempPageName=798908| publisher = Post Magazine| title = Munich Re confirms insuring crashed Sudan Airways flight| accessdate =2008-06-12]

Notable passengers

* Abbas al-Fadini (Member of the Parliament of Sudan) - Survived unscathedcite web | url = http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article4110607.ece| publisher = The Times| title = At least 28 die in Sudan air crash disaster| accessdate = 2008-06-11]

References

External links

* [http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20080610-0 Aviation Safety Net page on the accident]