Aviation expert: wrecked Antonov in Darfur was for goods, not passengers

Survivors of a plane crash at the Zalingei airport recounted details of the last minutes before the crash and the difficulties faced by the flight from Khartoum to Zalingei. In interviews Thursday, the survivors described irregularities on the flight from the time of takeoff, and an aviation expert told Radio Dabanga that the aircraft was meant to carry cargo, not passengers.One of the survivors told Radio Dabanga that the plane’s takeoff was delayed for three hours at Khartoum airport. She explained that the plane was very hot inside at the moment of boarding. She said she asked the flight steward about it but he said that the matter was normal. She described the services within the plane as non-existent. The steward told them that the trip would take two hours and 55 minutes. But after three hours in flight, the host asked them to tighten their seat belts in preparation for the landing. The force of the plane hitting the ground broke it in half and it burst into flames. The airport did not have a fire truck to put out the blaze, and the fire burned in the plane for a long time before the fire truck of UNAMID arrived. She explained that family members awaiting arriving passengers helped to open the door of the plane.

An expert in the field of aviation and air transport said that the Antonov aircraft was customized for goods and not to transfer passengers, which is a clear violation of international standards for aviation safety. Captain Walid Hamed, a former pilot, told Radio Dabanga that the government had earlier banned the use of Antonov planes to transport passengers, but reversed the decision after one month in force.

Since the accident, the company had not yet contacted anybody, said the survivor. The plane had about 36 passengers, plus 5 others representing cabin crew. The exact number of lives claimed in the accident, and the number of wounded and missing, is not yet clear. According to informed sources speaking on Radio Dabanga from Zalingei, there list of the names of passengers and their addresses is missing. Some said that a governmental entity that has an interest in the case took a list of names and hid it from the public and the media.