What happened
During a recent flight departing from Asmara-Yohannes IV Airport, the aircraft experienced a critical mechanical issue shortly after departure. While the plane was in its initial climb phase, one of the engines ceased to function properly. In response to the malfunction, the crew declared an emergency and began executing a maneuver to return to the airfield.
During this attempt to fly a circuit back to the airport, the aircraft lost sufficient altitude to sustain flight. The plane subsequently impacted the ground, resulting in a large-scale explosion at the crash site. There were 54 fatalities recorded among the occupants of the aircraft.
Findings
Official investigations into the accident have identified that the sequence of events was initiated by an engine failure occurring during the climb immediately following takeoff.