Cargo plane crashes after taking off from Juba Airport

A cargo plane EY473 crash landed west of Juba International Airport on Friday morning shortly after taking-off.

Speaking to the Juba Echo on phone, the Director of Juba International Airport Kur Kuol, said that the three passengers and two crew members aboard the Fly Air Africa plane survived.

“Yes that’s true it happened this morning, the plane crashed  in Hai Referendum shortly  after  it took off from Juba International Airport and was heading to Lankien,” said Kuol.

Lankien is located in Akobo County of Jonglei State.

Kuol said that the cargo plane was carrying mixed goods.

He disclosed that preliminary investigations are ongoing to establish the cause of the crash.

“The three passengers and two crew are safe, but the plane has some damage. I cannot tell the cause of the crash until investigations are concluded,” said Kuol.

In July 2022, a plane crashed to a standstill while attempting to take off at Juba International Airport.

In November 2021, a cargo plane crashed in the capital Juba killing all five crew members on board.

This followed another deadly crash that killed 10 people in Jonglei State in March of the same year.

In 2020, the Civil Aviation Authority withdrew the license of several Antonov planes and ordered their owners to fly them out of South Sudan.

The Aviation Authority also warned two AN-26 planes owned by the South Sudan Air force flying with foreign civil registration to change to the military or else face a ban by the aviation authority.

The Russian Antonov AN-26s, which were manufactured in 1969 have been blacklisted by the Flights Safety foundation in 2006.