In an incident at Malakal Airport in South Sudan, a Safe Air Boeing 727-200F (registered 5Y-IRE) encountered a runway excursion during landing, resulting in the collapse of its undercarriage. The aircraft subsequently collided with a stationary McDonnell Douglas MD-80 belonging to African Express Airways (registered 5Y-AXL) and broke into two parts before coming to a halt.
The impact of the collision and subsequent breakup of the Boeing 727-200F caused concern, but fortunately, all seven individuals on board the aircraft were rescued with minor injuries.
Safe Air Boeing 727-200F (5Y-IRE, built 1979) ran off the side of the runway while landing at Malakal Airport (HJMK), South Sudan, where its undercarriage collapsed. It collided with a stationary MD-80 of African Express AW (5Y-AXL, built 1984) and broke into two parts before… pic.twitter.com/yqEVKUzhCO
— JACDEC (@JacdecNew) March 31, 2024
It’s worth noting that the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 involved in this incident, bearing registration 5Y-AXL, had previously been involved in another landing accident on February 9, 2024, at Malakal Airport. During that incident, the aircraft, also known as 5Y-AKL, sustained irreparable damage and was subsequently removed to clear the runway.
African Express Airways McDD MD-82 (5Y-AXL, built 1984) suffered irreparable damage while landing short of the runway threshold at Malakal Airport (HJMK), South Sudan. The aircraft came to rest on the runway with its main undercarriage collapsed. There were no reports of any… pic.twitter.com/LKY0BMFhao
— JACDEC (@JacdecNew) February 9, 2024