Site Nasir, South Sudan Fatalities 26 Aircraft type Antonov An-26 Number of deaths 26 Survivor 31 Crew count 7 | Passengers 50 Survivors 31 Date 12 February 1998 Operator Sudanese Air Force Passenger count 50 | |
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Summary Overshot the airport's runway while landing in inclement weather Similar 1998 MIAT Mongolian Airlines cr, 1998 Occidental Petroleu, Myanma Airways Flight 635, Olympic Airways Flight 417, 1998 Ariana Afghan Ai | ||
The 1998 Sudan Air Force crash was the crash of a Sudan Air Force transport plane at Nasir that killed several of the country's most senior government leaders, including the Vice-President Zubair Mohamed Salih.
On the morning of 12 February 1998, a Sudan Air Force Antonov An-26 turboprop attempted to land at Nasir Airport. The craft overshot the end of the runway and slid into the Sobat River. The Sudanese government announced that fog and strong winds had caused the crash. The SPLA's spokesman in Nairobi announced that the crash had not been an accident, but had been caused by an SPLA attack.
Casualties
Of the 57 crew and passengers on board, 26 drowned in the river. Among the dead were:
Information Minister Brigadier Mohamad Kheir and another minister survived.