South Sudan’s crashed plane was in no condition to fly, says maker

The Russian-built, Soviet-era Antonov-12 cargo plane that crashed in South Sudan, killing at least 36 people, was in no condition to fly, the plane’s maker said.

The Antonov company, based in Ukraine, said the plane did not receive proper, timely maintenance and did not have “enough possibilities to perform flights.” The company said the plane was registered to the Republic of Tajikistan.

“South Sudan, the country where the aircraft crashed, or Republic of Tajikistan, the country, where the aircraft was registered, has to officially inform State Aviation Administration of Ukraine or Ukrainian Bureau on investigation of catastrophes and incidents of civil aircraft about the crash,” Antonov said in a statement. “Antonov company presents condolences to families of people suffered from the AN?12B crash.”

The plane crashed less than 100 yards from the White Nile River at about 9 a.m. on Wednesday shortly after taking off from the Juba International Airport as it headed toward the Paloich Airport — a flight of nearly 400 miles. Investigators suspect engine failure played a role in the crash. Some of the 36 people who died may have been bystanders on the ground.

The Antonov 12, which has different models such as 12A and 12B — the model which crashed in South Sudan — has had at least 235 safety occurrences worth mentioning on the Aviation Safety Network’s website stretching back to 1958 — a year after the original model’s first flight.

Antonov 12’s have had 195 hull-loss accidents leading to the deaths of 1,433 people.

UPI