At least 100 people are feared dead after Sudan Airways Flight 109 burst into flames after landing at Khartoum-Civil Airport in Sudan in low visibility due to heavy rain following an earlier sandstorm. The majority of passengers were able to escape by the emergency chutes before the Airbus A310 was engulfed in flames, but it is believed many passengers tragically lost their lives onboard the aircraft. CNN.com reports that 13 of 14 crew members crew escaped from the burning wreckage.
This international flight originated in Amman, Jordan with a scheduled stop in Damascus, Syria. Click here for a map of the flight path. Witnesses reported that the aircraft veered off of the runway after landing and then burst into flames. Rescue workers indicated that the aircraft had split into two pieces. Click here for a video of the recovery scene.
"The plane was coming from Amman and Syria ... it landed safely at Khartoum airport and they talked to the control tower which told them where to taxi. At this moment an explosion happened," airport director Yusuf Ibrahim told Sudanese television, as reported by Reuters.
A few factors that will likely be reviewed in the investigation of this crash include whether the landing should have even been attempted during the severe weather; the ages of the Airbus A310 and some of its component parts, including the engines; potential pilot error; the crew’s fatigue level; and whether the emergency chutes opened and functioned properly. Accidents often occur during landing in inclement weather as seen in the crash of Air France Flight 358 crash in Toronto, Canada. There, the Airbus A340 overshot the landing during a severe thunderstorm, crashed into a ditch, and burst in flames. Other crashes involving inclement weather which Motley Rice attorneys have litigated or are currently litigating include American Airlines Flight 1420, Singapore Airlines Flight SQ006, MK Airlines Flight 1602, TAM Airlines Flight 3054 and One-Two Go Airlines Flight 269.
Motley Rice LLC’s aviation team consists of the former Inspector General of the United States Department of Transportation, aviation professor and pilot, attorney Mary Schiavo; Portuguese and Italian speaking attorney Donald Migliori, who, along with Ms. Schiavo is currently counsel for plaintiffs in the pending September 11, 2001, aviation cases in New York; internationally known negotiator Joe Rice; and Latin American-raised attorney Rhett Klok, who is fluent in Spanish and English. This team of attorneys is supported by numerous paralegals, an aviation maintenance expert, a former air traffic controller, multilingual translators and information technology specialists.
The Motley Rice aviation team is investigating this accident and any legal responsibility that Sudan Airways, the airport authority and the manufacturer of the emergency chutes may have to the families of the victims of this disaster. If you or someone you know is interested in seeking legal recourse due to wrongful death as a result of this accident, please contact Motley Rice Aviation attorney Mary Schiavo (DC, MD, MO, SC) at (843) 216-9138 or toll free at 1-800-768-4026.
