What happened
During a scheduled flight from Juba to Wau, an aircraft carrying 50 passengers and five crew members experienced a mechanical failure upon touchdown. As the plane touched down on the 2,175-meter unpaved runway, the left main landing gear collapsed. This failure caused the aircraft to skid along the surface and veer off the runway path. During the excursion, the nose gear was torn from the airframe after the aircraft struck various obstacles. The impact left the aircraft with damage that was deemed beyond repair.
While the incident resulted in zero passenger fatalities, all five crew members sustained injuries during the event. All 50 passengers on board were able to evacuate without injury.
Findings
Investigations into the incident highlighted several critical factors regarding the runway conditions. At the time of the accident, the initial section of runway 09 was closed to accommodate ongoing resurfacing projects that had been underway for three months. A primary contributing factor was the lack of communication regarding runway obstructions, as the airline reported that no NOTAM had been issued to alert operators to the construction. Additionally, air traffic control personnel did not provide verbal warnings concerning the active work zone. The physical gradient of the runway further complicated the situation, as the slope prevented the flight crew from observing workers on the runway in a timely manner before the aircraft lost control.