Daallo Airlines Flight 159 Bombing Incident (SX-BHS)

Incident Overview and Flight Details On February 2, 2016, Daallo Airlines Flight 159, an Airbus A321 registered SX-BHS, was scheduled to fly from Mogadishu, Somalia, to Djibouti. The aircraft, wet-leased from Hermes Airlines, was cleared for takeoff on runway 05 at 08:34:19 UTC. The first officer served as the pilot flying, while the captain monitored. The flight was cleared to climb to flight level 300. At 08:41:03 UTC, while passing 10,400 feet, an explosion occurred in the cabin. The captain immediately took control, applying nose-down inputs and initiating a left turn. The crew requested and received clearance for an emergency return to Mogadishu. The aircraft landed safely at 08:53 UTC with a landing weight of approximately 69.4 tonnes. ## Casualties and Damage The explosion resulted in one passenger fatality and three serious injuries. The passenger seated at 16F was ejected from the aircraft and found dead on the ground near the airport. Three other passengers seated near 16F were injured. The fuselage was perforated on the right-hand side, approximately one square meter in size, at the level of row 16. The aircraft was severely damaged. ## Investigation Findings The investigation determined that the explosion was the result of a terrorist attack. The passenger seated at 16F triggered a blast device from a laptop he carried. The aircraft was an Airbus A321-100, serial number 0642, manufactured in 1996. At the time of the accident, the airframe had 35,682 hours and 21,409 cycles. The engines were CFM56-5B. The investigation was conducted by the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation of the Federal Republic of Somalia, with an accredited representative from the French BEA.