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| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 31 March 2024 (2024-03-31) |
| Summary | Runway excursion following runway undershoot, under investigation |
| Site | Malakal Airport, South Sudan 9°33′09″N 31°38′45″E / 9.552428°N 31.645778°E / 9.552428; 31.645778 |
| Total fatalities | 0 |
| Total injuries | 1 |
| Total survivors | 7 |
| First aircraft | |
(F)_5Y-IRE_Johannesburg_O.R._Tambo_Int%27l_-_FAOR,_South_Africa_Dec_30,_2021.jpg) 5Y-IRE, one of the aircraft involved in the accident | |
| Type | Boeing 727-2Q9F |
| Operator | Safe Air Company |
| Registration | 5Y-IRE |
| Flight origin | Juba International Airport, South Sudan |
| Destination | Malakal Airport, South Sudan |
| Occupants | 7 |
| Passengers | 1 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 1 |
| Survivors | 7 |
| Second aircraft | |
 5Y-AXL, the other aircraft involved in the accident | |
| Type | McDonnell Douglas MD-82 |
| Operator | African Express Airways |
| Registration | 5Y-AXL |
| Occupants | 0 |
On 31 March 2024, a Boeing 727-200 operated by Safe Air Company scheduled to fly from Juba International Airport to Malakal Airport, South Sudan, undershot the runway after experiencing technical issues. The plane collided with a disabled McDonnell Douglas MD-82 that had crashed around two months earlier in the same airport. Out of the seven occupants on board, everyone survived with only one injured.
Background
On 9 February 2024, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 registered 5Y-AXL and operated by African Express Airways crashed in similar circumstances as the Safe Air Boeing 727 did at Malakal Airport, South Sudan; the aircraft touched down short of the runway and lost its landing gear, before coming to a stop on its belly. It was later removed from the runway to allow the airport to restart operations.
Aircraft
The first aircraft involved in the collision was a 45-year-old Boeing 727-2Q9 Advanced registered as 5Y-IRE with serial numbers 21931/1531.
The second aircraft involved was a 39-year-old McDonnell Douglas MD-82 registered 5Y-AXL with serial numbers 49204/1179. It was first delivered to Alitalia in 1985.
Accident
On 31 March 2024, the Boeing 727-200 took off from Juba Airport carrying supplies and other cargo. The flight proceeded normally until the descent, when the crew experienced technical problems with the aircraft and decided to make an emergency landing at Malakal. The plane touched down short of the runway, causing several tires to burst and subsequently, the Captain, who was flying the aircraft lost control. The aircraft continued across the grass for some distance before it struck the damaged McDonnell Douglas MD-82. Both aircraft sustained substantial damage, with the wreckage of the Boeing 727 coming to rest in two sections. There were no fatalities and one reported injury.
Investigation
An investigation is currently ongoing to try to figure out why the aircraft crashed.
References
- Ranabhat, Sharad (31 March 2024). "Safe Air Boeing 727 collides with disabled MD-82 while landing in South Sudan". AIRLIVE. Archived from the original on 1 April 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- Gleadow, Ewan (31 March 2024). "Boeing 727 loses control and crashes during landing in 'terrifying incident'". The Mirror US. Archived from the original on 1 April 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- "Boeing Plane Crash in Sudan: Safe Air Flight Crashes at Malakal Airfield". LatestLY. 31 March 2024. Archived from the original on 1 April 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- Hradecky, Simon (1 April 2024) . "Accident: Safe B722 at Malakal on Mar 31st 2024, landed short of runway and collided with MD-82". The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 2 April 2024.