What happened
On the morning of the accident, a four-engine cargo aircraft departed from Khartoum Airport at 07:38 local time, destined for Heglig. The flight was transporting 13 tons of various goods and was operated by a crew of four.
During the final approach phase at Heglig Airport, the aircraft descended below the required altitude. The plane struck a concrete block and several obstacles located approximately 16 meters before the runway threshold. This block contained part of the approach lighting system. Following the impact, the aircraft bounced and transitioned into a nose-down attitude, striking the ground nose-first 52 meters further along the path.
As the aircraft traveled 183 meters along the surface, the right main gear tire experienced a burst. In an attempt to manage the situation, the captain directed the flight engineer to engage the reverse thrust. However, the flight engineer failed to verify the position of the power levers. This error contributed to the aircraft veering toward the left side of the runway, where it subsequently lost its left main gear before coming to a final stop.
Findings
- The aircraft was flying at an insufficient altitude during the final approach.
- The flight engineer failed to check the power lever positions when attempting to activate reverse thrust.