What happened
A charter flight traveling from Wau to Khartoum crashed approximately 15 km from Khartoum-Haj Yusuf Airport, resulting in the deaths of all 53 occupants. The flight was transporting 48 students from Bahr al-Ghazalm University along with five crew members.
During the approach to the airport, the flight crew encountered nighttime operations complicated by a sandstorm, which significantly reduced visibility. Because the crew could not visually identify the runway, they performed a go-around. The aircraft subsequently made several subsequent attempts to land at the airport, with some reports indicating as many as nine separate approaches were attempted before the final descent.
During one of these late-stage approaches, the captain notified Air Traffic Control that the aircraft was running low on fuel. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft struck a building that was under construction, leading to its total destruction.
Findings
- Severe weather conditions, specifically a sandstorm, caused limited visibility during the night approach.
- The crew experienced fuel exhaustion or critical low fuel levels during the extended period of multiple landing attempts.