Somali Airlines Flight 40 was a scheduled domestic Somali Airlines flight on 20 July 1981 from Mogadishu to Hargeisa in Somalia. The aircraft crashed a few minutes after takeoff, and all 44 passengers and six crew on board were killed.
 The accident aircraft before delivery. | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 20 July 1981 |
| Summary | Structural failure due to loss of control in extreme turbulence. |
| Site | Balad, Somalia |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Fokker F27-600 Friendship |
| Operator | Somali Airlines |
| Registration | 6O-SAY |
| Flight origin | Mogadishu International Airport, Mogadishu, Somalia |
| Destination | Hargeisa International Airport, Hargeisa, Somalia |
| Occupants | 50 |
| Passengers | 44 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 50 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Flight
editOn 20 July 1981, Somali Airlines Flight 40, operated by a Fokker F27 Friendship, took off from Mogadishu's Mogadishu International Airport on route to Hargeisa International Airport in Hargeisa. It later returned to the Mogadishu airport for some repairs, before departing a second time.[1] A few minutes after Flight 40 took off again, the aircraft entered an area of heavy rainfall. The flight crew subsequently lost control and crashed near the town of Balad. All 50 people on board were killed,[2] the most fatalities in a single aircraft crash within Somali airspace.[3]
Investigation
editThe crash investigation determined that the aircraft had entered a spiral dive after encountering strong vertical gusts. Loads during the dive increased to approximately 5.76 g, exceeding the design stress limits of the Fokker F27 type and causing its right wing to separate.[2] The flight crew were believed to have erred in taking off during known thunderstorm conditions.[4]
References
edit
- ^ "49 are killed in Somali crash". St. Joseph News-Press. 20 July 1981. p. 3A.
- ^ a b Ranter, Harro. "Aircraft accident Fokker F-27 Friendship 600RF 6O-SAY Balad Plane crash claims 49 in Somalia". Aviation Safety Network. Flight Safety Foundation. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
- ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aviation Safety Database Somalia". Aviation Safety Network. Flight Safety Foundation. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
- ^ "Accident Database: Accident Synopsis 07201981". Airdisaster.com. 8 December 2012. Archived from the original on 8 December 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
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