Somali Airlines Flight 40

Today, Somali Airlines Flight 40 is a topic that has gained relevance in various areas of society. With the advancement of technology and globalization, Somali Airlines Flight 40 has become a fundamental aspect in people's daily lives. From its impact on health and well-being, to its influence in the workplace and professional environment, Somali Airlines Flight 40 has generated great interest and debate. In this article, we will explore different perspectives on Somali Airlines Flight 40, analyzing its implications and consequences in today's world.

Somali Airlines Flight 40
The aircraft involved in the accident in 1972
Accident
Date20 July 1981
SummaryCrashed shortly after takeoff
SiteBalad, Somalia
2°21′18.0″N 45°23′34.8″E / 2.355000°N 45.393000°E / 2.355000; 45.393000[1]
Aircraft
Aircraft typeFokker F27-600 Friendship
OperatorSomali Airlines
Registration6O-SAY
Flight originMogadishu International Airport, Mogadishu, Somalia
DestinationHargeisa International Airport, Hargeisa, Somalia
Occupants50
Passengers44
Crew6
Fatalities50
Survivors0

On 20 July 1981, Somali Airlines Flight 40, a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Mogadishu to Hargeisa in Somalia, crashed a few minutes after takeoff killing all 44 passengers and six crew on board.

Background

Aircraft

The aircraft involved, manufactured in 1977, was a F27 Friendship 600RF registered 6O-SAY that was in operations for less than five years.[1][2] The aircraft had accumulated 6,087 flying hours in 2,777 flight cycles.[1]

Passengers and crew

The flight was carrying 44 passengers and 6 crew members, including 9 family members.[2] Among the passengers were three senior armed forces officers,[3] General Omar Osman Diriye, a general of the Somali National Army, along with his three brothers, his wife and his four children.[2] There were three foreigners on board the aircraft, including Indian businessman Arvind Kumar and Roman Hoelldobler, a West German.[3][4] One of the passengers included Margaret Mary Ssebunnya, a 41-year-old exiled Ugandan volunteer of World Vision International.[3][5]

The six crew members included Captain Abdi Mohamed Mohamed, also known as Captain "Dhafuuji", first officer Ali Umul, flight attendants Abshiro and Fuad, and engineer Ali Fodade/Foodade.[a][2] Following a request by Captain "Dhafuuji", Ali Foodade boarded the aircraft in Mogadishu.[2]

Flight

On 20 July 1981, the aircraft, operating a domestic flight,[6] took off from Mogadishu's Mogadishu International Airport on time at 6 a.m. EAT (UTC+03:00) en route to Hargeisa International Airport in Hargeisa.[7] It later returned to Mogadishu for "unspecified" repairs due to an "unspecified" malfunction,[8][9] before departing a second time following repairs.[8][10] 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.[1]

Aftermath

Somali Airlines officials – who were unavailable for confirmation regarding reports of flight information – were believed to have joined rescue teams who rushed to the crash site.[11] Authorities withheld from releasing the names the victims "pending notification of relatives".[7] There were also fears that the fatalities may have included personnel of international aid agencies operating in Somalia.[12] On 20 July, UPI wrote that World Vision International's regional director for Africa, Ken Tracey, said that he had spoken by telephone to Robert Smith, World Vision International's Maqdishawi representative, who had visited the scene of the accident and said that he was told that "there was absolutely no chance of recovering any parts of the victims for identification" and that "…it was just a heap of charred wreckage." While confirming that there was at least one foreign relief worker among the dead, Tracey refused to give their name, stating that "There are sure to be others" and that "Planes in Somalia never take off with an empty seat on them and there are always relief workers among the passengers."[7] On 22 July, Agence France-Presse wrote that World Vision International officials stated that one of their volunteers was among the victims but declined to release their name or nationality.[3]

The following day, a mass funeral attended by spectators[b] took place in the area of crash site with all 50 passengers and crew buried with military honours. Among the attendees was Somali president Siad Barre, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Poul Hartling, top government and military officials, members of the ruling "revolutionary council", representatives of "all the armed services", and staff of World Vision Mogadishu.[3][5][4] By 22 July, according to Agence France-Presse, only one of the foreigners, Arvind Kumar, had been fully identified.[3] The body of Roman Hoelldobler was being kept for his family.[4]

Investigation

Siad Barre ordered that a commission of inquiry be created.[3] Authorities initially stated that the cause of the crash was unkown.[9] According to The Associated Press, the aircraft crashed after it caught fire in flight while attempting to return to Mogadishu after it had developed "technical problems".[4] According to Hiiraan Online, "sources familiar" with the accident said that the aircraft's attitude indicator which guides the pilot in the aircraft's direction relative to Earth's horizon, was faulty. However, Hiiraan Online stated that there was no correlation between the fault and the accident as the "Aircraft has standby AIs, which can still function even when the power of the plane fails."[2]

The only scheduled domestic air service in Somalia was provided by Somali Airlines' one remaining twin-engine Fokker F-27. I learned that this plane was in bad repair, and eventually I issued orders that no American was to fly on it. There had been a second F-27. Some months before my arrival, it was barely functioning, and one day its pilot refused to take it north from Mogadishu on a scheduled flight. He was told to take off or go to jail. He took off, and a few minutes later it crashed and killed all on board.

— Peter S. Bridges on Somali Airlines' Fokker F27s.[13]

According to the Aviation Safety Network (ASN), eight minutes after takeoff, the aircraft entered a spiral dive after encountering strong vertical gusts. During the dive, loads increased to approximately 5.76 g, exceeding the design stress limits of the Fokker F27, which caused its right wing to separate.[1] The flight crew were believed to have erred in taking off during known thunderstorm conditions.[14]

However, Hiiraan Online wrote that other accounts noted that "the pilot may have become disoriented and could not recover from an unusual attitude". Additionally, Hiiraan Online stated that ASN's reasoning was contestable "on account of the weather in Mogadishu in July. There are hardly any thunderstorms in Mogadishu in July, save for light showers. The sky is relatively clear; thus, the pilot's thought of facing a storm is not feasible."[2]

In his memoir of his experiences in Somalia titled Safirka: An American Envoy, Peter Scott Bridges wrote that the aircraft was "barely functioning" and that the pilot had refused to fly the aircraft. He was subsequently told to either "take off" or go to jail.[13]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Hiiraan Online refers to the engineer as both "Ali Fodade" and "Ali Foodade".[2]
  2. ^ Ranging from "hundreds", according to Agence France-Presse,[3] to "several thousand people", according to The Associated Press.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Accident Fokker F-27 Friendship 600RF 6O-SAY, Monday 20 July 1981". Aviation Safety Network. Flight Safety Foundation. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "TODAY IN HISTORY (July 20, 1981): Somali Airlines flight HH40 crashes after takeoff from Mogadishu, kills all 50 onboard". Hiiraan Online. Mogadishu, Somalia. 20 July 2021. Archived from the original on 20 July 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "Somali plane crash victims buried". Agence France-Presse. Arab News. 23 July 1981 . Retrieved 5 April 2025 – via Internet Archive.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Somalia plane crash kills 50". The Associated Press. Kitchener, Ontario, Canada: Waterloo Region Record. 22 July 1981. p. 25. Retrieved 23 April 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b Warren, Scott (September 1981). "World Vision nurse dies in crash" (PDF). World Vision Magazine. World Vision International. p. 14. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
  6. ^ "Friendship stort neer in Somalië: 49 doden" [Friendship crashes in Somalia : 49 dead]. Leeuwarder Courant (in Dutch). Mogadishu, Somalia. 21 July 1981. p. 4. Retrieved 25 April 2025 – via Delpher.
  7. ^ a b c "Somalia Airlines crash kills 49". UPI. Mogadishu, Somalia. 20 July 1981. Archived from the original on 21 April 2025. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
  8. ^ a b "Vliegramp eist 49 levens" [Plane crash claims 49 lives]. De Volkskrant (in Dutch). 21 July 1981. p. 1. Retrieved 25 April 2025 – via Delpher.
  9. ^ a b "F-27 Somalië verongelukt". NRC Handelsblad (in Dutch). Rotterdam, Netherlands. 21 July 1981. p. 6. Retrieved 23 April 2025 – via Delpher.
  10. ^ "49 are killed in Somali crash". The Associated Press. St. Joseph, Missouri: St. Joseph News-Press. 20 July 1981. p. 3A. Archived from the original on 21 April 2025 – via Google News Archive.
  11. ^ "49 die as Somali plane crashes". Agence France-Presse. Arab News. 21 July 1981 . Retrieved 21 April 2025 – via Internet Archive.
  12. ^ "49 die as plane crashes". The Glasgow Herald. No. 152. Mogadishu, Somalia. 21 July 1981. p. 5. Retrieved 25 April 2025 – via Google News Archive.
  13. ^ a b Bridges, Peter (2000). Safirka: an American envoy. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press. p. 165. ISBN 9780873386586.
  14. ^ "Accident Database: Accident Synopsis 07201981". Airdisaster.com. 8 December 2012. Archived from the original on 8 December 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2021.