Sudan Airways Flight 109

Sudan Airways

Company type	State-owned enterprise
Industry	Aviation
Founded	1946
Headquarters	Khartoum , Sudan
Products	Air transport services
Owner	Government of Sudan

Sudan Airways Flight 109 was an international scheduled passenger service operated by Sudan's national airline, flying from Amman to Khartoum with a stopover in Damascus aboard an Airbus A310. On 10 June 2008, around 17:26 UTC, the aircraft crashed during its landing phase at Khartoum International Airport, resulting in 30 deaths out of the 214 people on board.

The accident investigation was conducted by Sudan's Air Accident Investigation Central Directorate, with assistance from France's Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA). The inquiry concluded that the crash was primarily caused by an extended landing flare on a wet runway, combined with the failure to activate the autobrake system and one of the two engine thrust reversers. Additional factors included adverse weather conditions and inadequate pilot awareness of these conditions. Following the incident, recommendations emphasized the need for improved pilot training programs and upgrades to airport facilities.

Aircraft

The aircraft involved was an Airbus A310-324 bearing construction number 548 and registration ST-ATN. Its maiden flight occurred on 23 August 1990 under the registration F-WWCV. Powered by two Pratt & Whitney PW4152 engines, it was initially delivered to Singapore Airlines on 22 October 1990 as 9V-STU, later re-registered VT-EVF when transferred to Air India on 10 March 2001, and finally assigned ST-ATN upon joining Sudan Airways on 1 December 2007. Airbus records indicate the plane had accumulated approximately 52,000 flight hours and completed around 21,000 flight cycles.

Passengers and crew

The flight carried a total of 214 individuals: 203 passengers and 11 crew members, including two pilots:

• Captain Abdulqader Saeed, aged 60, possessed a total flying experience of 14,180 hours, with 3,088 hours logged specifically on the Airbus A310.
• First Officer Ali Fazaa, aged 50, had amassed 9,879 flight hours overall, including 3,347 hours operating the A310.

Accident

Flight 109 departed Amman, Jordan en route to Khartoum, Sudan with an intermediate stop in Damascus. The aircraft took off with the number one engine thrust reverser reported as inoperative—a condition noted in the Minimum Equipment List (MEL) carried over from the previous day.

According to Jordanian authorities, 34 passengers boarded at Amman and an additional 169 embarked in Damascus. Due to inclement weather involving a sandstorm and heavy rainfall that prevented landing at Khartoum initially, the crew diverted to Port Sudan before attempting to return.

During its approach to Khartoum International Airport, Flight 109 received clearance and landed on runway 36 at approximately 17:26 UTC but overshot the runway by about 215 meters. A fire ignited on the starboard side of the aircraft shortly thereafter.

Only evacuation slides on the left side were deployed; however, intense smoke and darkness inside the cabin allowed the fire to spread rapidly, significantly obstructing evacuation efforts. Passenger panic was exacerbated by inadequate safety briefings and poor communication from crew members. Furthermore, many passengers delayed escape by attempting to retrieve personal belongings. The rear left slide could not be used because of the aircraft’s height relative to the ground, causing congestion at forward slides as flames advanced toward the cockpit area.

Khartoum Airport was promptly closed following the incident. Rescue operations faced challenges due to limited emergency personnel availability, substandard communication tools, difficult terrain surrounding the airport, and insufficient access routes for emergency vehicles. Several ambulances transported injured survivors to hospitals within Khartoum for medical treatment and evaluation.

Casualties

Early accounts suggested as many as 120 people had died; this figure was later lowered after numerous survivors departed the scene. The definitive official tally reported 29 passengers and 1 crew member among the fatalities, from a total of 203 passengers and 11 crew members aboard. A significant portion of those lost were children with disabilities and elderly individuals returning from medical care in Amman.

Seventeen individuals, including the pilot, received treatment for minor injuries, while more than 110 passengers escaped unharmed. The final investigation did not provide a detailed breakdown of injury severity.

A state funeral honoring the victims took place in Khartoum on 11 June, with attendance by Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir, high-ranking officials, and over 5,000 mourners.

Passenger and crew nationality breakdown

Nationality	Passengers	Crew	Total
Sudan	201	11	212
Iraq	2	0	2
Total	203	11	214

Noteworthy passengers

Abbas al-Fadini, a Member of the Parliament of Sudan, was aboard this flight and survived without injury.

Investigation

Various hypotheses emerged regarding the cause of the crash. Numerous survivors recounted that a fire broke out on the right wing following the aircraft's runway overrun, with adverse weather conditions preceding the landing. Sudan Airways and other sources mainly attributed the incident to unfavorable weather.

Conversely, some authorities pointed to mechanical "deficiencies" in the aircraft as responsible. Youssef Ibrahim, Director of Khartoum International Airport, indicated that an explosion occurred in the right engine after a safe touchdown, corroborated by witness testimonies. Other perspectives assigned blame to pilot error during a "very rough" landing; meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority suggested that a hard landing could have led to engine cylinder failure.

Chronology of events

The investigative team synthesized data from flight recorders, meteorological reports, airport infrastructure assessments, and simulation analyses to piece together the sequence.

Prior to touchdown, the crew received updates about weather conditions; however, Khartoum Tower mistakenly reported a headwind. The pilots were aware of ongoing precipitation. Flight 109 landed at 19:26 local time with an unrecognized tailwind of approximately 15 knots, touching down roughly 850–900 meters beyond the runway threshold.

The runway surface was described as "extremely slippery," considerably diminishing braking effectiveness. Despite air traffic control recommending autobrake use, the pilot opted against deploying them. The aircraft continued rolling before activating thrust reversers; since the left engine reverser was inactive, asymmetric thrust caused a rightward swerve that was corrected back to centerline by the pilot.

Full braking was then applied; however, wheel lockup occurred and anti-skid systems were disabled. Flight 109 exited the runway at a speed of 76 knots; its right wing collided with antenna structures and approach lighting fixtures. Fuel leaks already present in both wings ruptured upon impact with ground installations, triggering a fire once the aircraft came to rest.

Conclusion

The runway overrun was primarily due to an extended landing flare, combined with a wet runway surface, the absence of autobrake usage, and a disabled port thrust reverser. The malfunctioning reverser led the aircraft to drift to the right upon activation of reverse thrust. Challenging conditions such as poor visibility, intense rainfall, and strong winds further hindered the landing process. Moreover, the flight crew received incorrect information regarding wind direction, anticipating a headwind but instead encountering a tailwind, which contributed to the prolonged flare.

External links

• Sudan Civil Aviation Authority: Sudan Airways Airbus 310 Crash (accessed 11 June 2008)