By Bida Elly/Yien Gattuor
A cargo plane Antonov 26, crashed at Yida Airstrip in Ruweng Administrative Area due to poor weather conditions, resulting in minor injuries for two pilots.
The incident occurred on Tuesday when the plane lost control and overran the runway, eventually hitting a tree and catching fire.
All five people on board, that included the crew and passengers, managed to escape unharmed before the cargo was engulfed in flames, according to officials.
Kur Kuol, the managing director of Juba International Airport (JIA), explained that the plane had departed from Juba at 6:18 a.m. on its way to Yida, with an estimated landing time of 7:57 A.M.
However, due to extremely poor visibility caused by the weather, the plane encountered difficulties during landing.
“Before the plane got burned, people came out from the plane, so the five people who were on board were safe, nobody died,” he noted.
According to Kur, further inquiries are underway.
Nyok Kuol Machar, the press secretary in the office of Ruweng’s chief administrator, confirmed that the plane had been carrying unidentified cargo from Juba.
He said the survivors were promptly taken to the Yida Primary Health Care Unit for medical evaluation.
He added that the cargo burned into ashes after the crash.
“Everyone managed to escape the scene safely. There are no reported fatalities.” Machar affirmed.
Machar reminded companies operating in South Sudan to monitor weather conditions before flights to ensure the safety of both passengers and crew.
This is the latest plane crash incident months after the Ministry of Transport suspended four airline operating companies from flying in South Sudan’s airspace over fake registration.
Four companies that were affected include; Allied Services, Eagle Enterprise, Icon Aviation, and Fly Africa Aviation.
Despite the ban, these companies seem to continue to fly in the airspace.
Last year, the Council of Ministers also ordered the Minister of Transport to spearhead airworthiness checks on planes flying various routes in the country to weed out suspected unfit aircraft.
This came after the minister of transport presented to the cabinet two reports on frequent air crashes involving two airlines, the Southwest and South Supreme Carriers.
Due to insecurity and poor roads, South Sudanese opt for air transport to reach some of the remote places in the far corners of the country.
But the woes do not end on the surface of the earth. The country’s aviation sector has been experiencing frequent crashes.
Last year, Mr. Michael Makuei, minister of information, admitted that most jets operating in South Sudan are not flyable in other parts of the globe.
The country’s air safety regulator said they take responsibility for the negligence on their part, which might have played a part in the worrying air accidents.
In March 2021, a plane, L-410, operated by South Supreme Airlines crashed while en route from Uror County to Juba, killing all on board.
In August 2020, eight people died and one passenger survived with injuries when a plane crashed minutes after takeoff from Juba International Airport.
Nineteen people perished in 2018 when a small aircraft carrying passengers from Juba to Yirol crashed.
Also In 2017, 37 people miraculously survived after their plane hit a fire truck on a runway in Wau before bursting into flames.
In 2015, 36 people were killed when a Soviet-era Antonov plane crashed just after takeoff in Juba.