Pieri Plane crash. (-)

Three people were killed and four others including crew members suffered injuries when a humanitarian cargo aircraft crashed at Pieri airstrip in Jonglei State on Thursday, a UN agency revealed.

The plane operated by a commercial airline was chartered by the World Food Programme (WFP) to transport relief supplies from the state capital Bor to Uror County.

The agency said in a statement that the plane rammed into adjacent shelters injuring the two crew members on board, who are now in stable condition after being treated at a local clinic.

It was indicated that the crash triggered a fire that spread to huts adjacent to the airstrip, killing three people and injuring two others on the ground.

“WFP is deeply saddened by this tragic loss of life. WFP extends condolences to the families of those killed and the communities affected by the fire,” the agency said.

The UN food agency further revealed that the plane was carrying water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) cargo, including blankets, buckets, soap, sleeping mats, and collapsible jerrycans, all of which was destroyed in the fire.

It further stated that the cause of the crash is still unclear, adding that the commercial operator and local aviation authorities are working together to determine what happened.

The crash occurred a day before one of the worst aviation disasters in the country was averted in Malakal of Upper Nile State.

On Friday, 35 passengers survived when a United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) made an emergency landing at Malakal Airport after losing all its tires upon take off from Maban County.

The UNHAS charter plane headed for Juba smashed its wheels upon departure from the northern part of Upper Nile State, forcing it to reroute to Malakal for emergency landing.

Scary scenes show the plane approaching a runway at Malakal Airport without all its wheels – making a rough landing at the tarmac before firefighters and medics from the South Sudan Red Cross rushed to the rescue.

Aviation authorities and the United Nations are yet to comment on the incident.

Plane crashes are commonly reported in South Sudan which authorities blame on aged planes smuggled into the country by aviation companies.

In February 2024, four crew members including a passenger survived when a banned Antonov cargo plane crash-landed and burned to ashes at Yida Airstrip in Ruweng Administrative Area.

Also in February 2024, a passenger aircraft hired to transport returnees from Upper Nile State experienced a runway excursion and sustained serious damage at Malakal Airport. The aircraft – Super 80 McDonnell Douglas with a registration – 5Y-AXL had a rough landing at the airport at 8:33 am leading to extensive damage.

On March 2, 2021, a tragic plane crash occurred in the same Pieri airstrip – killing ten individuals on board, including two pilots: Captain Majur Malual from South Sudan and Captain Philip from Kenya.

The Let L-410 Turbolet aircraft operated by South Supreme Airlines crashed shortly after takeoff leading to a significant legal repercussions where a Juba court ordered the airline to pay $175,000 each to the families of the two deceased pilots and $800,000 for the families of the other eight deceased passengers.

In May 2021, the South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority ordered all airline companies operating Antonov An-26 to cease operations until further notice.

This came after an Antonov AN-26 cargo plane made an emergency landing at Juba International Airport following an incident in which one of its propellers fell off midair.

The single propeller plugged off in the sky and landed near some engineers working in Cuei-keer Boma, East of Bor County in Jonglei State.