Yemenia Airways Flight 626 Crash Off Moroni (7O-ADJ)

Overview and Basic Information On the night of June 29, 2009, Yemenia Airways Flight 626, operated by Yemenia, Yemen Airways Corp., was conducting a regular international passenger flight. The aircraft was an Airbus A310-324 with the registration 7O-ADJ, owned by International Leasing and Financing Corporation (ILFC). The flight carried 153 people on board, consisting of 142 passengers and 11 crew members. ## Accident Location and Circumstances The accident occurred at sea, off the coast of Moroni, Comoros. During its approach to the Moroni Prince Said Ibrahim International Airport (AIMPSI), the aircraft crashed into the sea approximately nine nautical miles from the threshold of runway 20. The final contact with air traffic control was made, and two minutes later, the controller called the aircraft four times without receiving a response, immediately initiating the alert phase. ## Consequences and Casualties The accident resulted in 152 fatalities and one survivor. Among the fatalities were 11 crew members and 141 passengers. The sole survivor was a passenger. The aircraft was destroyed. Following the incident, authorities established two crisis cells at the airport, one political and one technical, to initiate search and rescue operations. ## Investigation and Reporting The final report on the accident was issued by the Commission d'Enquête of the Union des Comores, under the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, Promotion of New Technologies, Information and Communication, in charge of Transport and Tourism. The report was dated June 25, 2013. The investigation was conducted in accordance with Annex 13 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, with the sole objective of drawing lessons to prevent future accidents, not to establish fault or assign individual or collective responsibility.