A preliminary investigation into the Jubba Airways plane crash in Mogadishu’s international airport on July 18 has revealed that the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) has not yet been recovered from the aircraft.
According to a report from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Branch, “so far, no flight recorders have not been recovered.” The FDR records vital information for flight investigators about what happened in the final moments before the accident.
The report concluded that the accident was caused when the pilot lost control of the aircraft due to windshear, as previously expected.
Sources from Somalia’s Ministry of Transportation and Civil Aviation have told Hiiraan Online that the investigation into the accident was complete.
Kamil Abdiaziz Olol, an aircraft maintenance engineer, said that he was surprised to learn that the investigation had concluded without the discovery of the FDR.
“Anytime there is an aircraft accident, the flight data recorder is what investigators rely on the most to learn what caused it. Without the information from the recorder, it’s hard to believe that the investigation can be closed.”
He added that the circumstances and location of the accident do not explain why the FDR was not found.
“The plane crashed on runway 05 in Aden Adde International Airport, and it should be easily recovered when often it is recovered from the open ocean.”
Another aircraft engineer HOL spoke to was equally surprised to learn that the FDR was still not found.
Ahmed Osman, an avionics engineer for Canadian North Airlines, said that all aircraft must have an operational Flight Data Recorder on board before flying.
“It’s extremely rare to have in an instance where a commercial aircraft does not have a black box.”
“There are serious questions that Somalia’s civil aviation authorities must answer regarding the safety of domestic flight operations. In light of this accident, qualified civil aviation inspectors should review all flight operations in Somalia.”
According to global flight tracking systems, two large jet aircraft – a Boeing 727 Freight and an Airbus 320, landed on runway 05 without incident just 30 minutes before the Jubba Airways accident. Both planes are equipped with windshear detection systems.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Branch’s report did not say whether the Fokker-50 plane was equipped with a windshear detection system but recommended one being installed at Aden Adde International Airport.
The Jubba Airways crash is not the first time that investigators did not recover the black box from an aviation accident inside Somalia. In May 2020, an Embraer 120 operated by East African Express was allegedly shot down by Ethiopian National Defense Forces not affiliated with the African Union peacekeeping force. Somalia’s civil aviation authorities never recovered the flight data recorder following the crash.
