ANOTHER CRASH IN SOUTH SUDAN FURTHER DENTS THE COUNTRY’S AVIATION SAFETY RECORD
(Posted 30th August 2017)
(Picture courtesy of Aviation Herald)
Information is emerging from South Sudan that yet another UN chartered Antonov 26 aircraft was involved in a landing incident. The aircraft, operating for UNHCR and carrying a full cargo of relief goods, overshot the runway in wet conditions and ended up burning to ashes, while the crew thankfully escaped with reportedly only minor injuries.There are presently at least four refugee camps in the neighbourhood of the Maban airstrip.
This particular AN-26, now 35 years old with her first flight in 1982, was registered as EK 26006 in Armenia, a former Soviet vassal state. The aircraft was according to information received from a source in Juba registered to Coco Aviation based in Juba. The same airline last year suffered another landing incident of an Antonov A-32A, registered also in Armenia as EK32120. That aircraft was substantially damaged at the time.
Aged and often poorly maintained aircraft from the former Soviet Union are still being used in Africa and notably chartered by UN organizations in spite of the poor safety records and above average accidents.
While yet another air accident investigation is now going underway in South Sudan have aviation pundits questioned the capacity for effective oversight of the South Sudanese aviation authority to help reduce the number of incidents seen since the country became independent.
