1998 Sudanese Air Force An-32 crash
 An Antonov An-32 similar to the aircraft involved | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 12 February 1998 |
| Summary | Runway overshoot in inclement weather |
| Site | Nasir, South Sudan 8°36′58″N 33°04′04″E / 8.61616°N 33.06766°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Antonov An-32 |
| Operator |  Sudanese Air Force |
| Registration | 7744 |
| Flight origin | Malakal Airport, South Sudan |
| Destination | Nasir Airport[a], South Sudan |
| Passengers | 50 |
| Crew | 7 |
| Fatalities | 26 |
| Survivors | 31 |
The 1998 Sudan Air Force crash was the crash of a Sudanese Air Force transport plane at Nasir that killed several of the country's most senior government leaders, including the Vice-President Zubair Mohamed Salih.[1][2]
On the morning of 12 February 1998, a Sudanese Air Force Antonov An-32 turboprop attempted to land at Nasir Airport. The craft overshot the end of the runway and slid into the Sobat River.[3] The Sudanese government announced that fog and strong winds had caused the crash.[4] The SPLA's spokesman in Nairobi announced that the crash had not been an accident, but had been caused by an SPLA attack.[1]
Casualties[edit]
Of the 57 crew and passengers on board, 26 drowned in the river. Among the dead were:
- Salih, the vice-president
- Musa Sayed Ahmed, Director General of the Supreme Council for Peace
- Arok Thon Arok, an ex-rebel turned government army officer[5]
- Timothy Tutlam, director of the Relief Association of Southern Sudan[6]
Information Minister Brigadier Mohamad Kheir and another minister survived.[7][8]
Notes[edit]
- ^ The airport has since been renamed as Velana International Airport.
References[edit]
- ^ a b McKinley, James (13 February 1998). "Influential Sudan Official Is Killed in Plane Crash". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
- ^ Taban, Alfred (13 February 2013). "Sudan's First Vice President killed in plane crash". Reuters – AlertNet. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
- ^ Committee for Peace and Reconstruction in Sudan. (28 February 1998). "Nasir Plane Crash". Sudan Update. 9 (4): 1. ISSN 1352-0393. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
- ^ "Air Crash Kills High Sudanese Leaders". AP. 13 February 1998.
- ^ "Vice President of Sudan dies in plane crash". CBC News. 12 February 1998. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
- ^ Quantin, Patrick (2005). Gouverner les sociétés africaines: acteurs et institutions. Paris: Karthala. p. 296. ISBN 978-2-84586-644-7.
- ^ "Sudanese Vice President killed in plane crash". BBC News. 12 February 1998. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
- ^ "Sudan buries plane crash victims". BBC News. 13 February 1998. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
