Investigation Summary
The flight was a government charter transporting a delegation that included the Minister of Guidance and Religious Endowments, several other ministers, and high-ranking military and security officials. The aircraft departed Khartoum at 06:02 local time. Upon arrival at Talodi, the crew faced extremely poor visibility caused by seasonal heavy rains and a sandstorm. After failing to land on the first attempt, the crew initiated a go-around. During this maneuver, the aircraft impacted the Hajar Al-Nar Mountain at an elevation of approximately 244 meters, located about 1,500 meters southeast of the southern threshold of the airfield. The investigation highlighted that the pilots were operating with near zero visibility and descended too low for the terrain. Notably, the aircraft was reportedly equipped with modern safety equipment, including an Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS), yet the crew failed to avoid the terrain. While rebel groups in the war-torn South Kordofan region initially claimed to have shot down the aircraft, the Sudanese government and subsequent investigation confirmed the cause as Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) due to weather and pilot error.
Final Conclusions
The official investigation concluded that the accident was a Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT). The primary contributing factors were poor weather conditions, characterized by low clouds and a sandstorm that reduced visibility to near zero, and the flight crew's decision to descend below the minimum safe altitude during a go-around procedure. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post-crash fire.
Photographic Evidence (1)
Video Analysis
Sudan plane crash: 32 dead including minister — News report covering the 2012 crash of an Antonov An-26 in Sudan's South Kordofan state, which killed a government delegation.
If playback is blocked, the owner has disabled embedding — use the link above.
Airframe & Maintenance
Systems & Failure Modes
Antonov An-26-100
A twin-turboprop transport aircraft. This specific airframe was modified from its original 1974 configuration to the -100 passenger/cargo hybrid standard in 2010.
EGPWS
The aircraft was equipped with an Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System designed to prevent CFIT, though it did not prevent this accident under zero-visibility conditions.
Flight Recorders
The CVR and FDR were recovered on August 24, 2012, to assist in determining the flight path and crew actions during the missed approach.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was a 1974-built Antonov An-26, modified to An-26-100 standard in 2010.
- 02All 32 people on board, including 26 passengers and 6 crew members, were killed.
- 03The passenger list included Ghazi al-Sadiq Abdel Rahim, the Minister of Guidance and Religious Endowments.
- 04The crash site was Mount Hagar al-Nar, which is approximately 244 meters high.
- 05The flight crew was international, consisting of a Russian captain, a Sudanese first officer, a Tajik navigator, and an Armenian flight engineer.
Safety Actions & Advisories
CAA Reform Program
Following the accident, the Sudanese President rejected the resignation of the Civil Aviation Authority chief and directed him to implement a newly approved program of reforms for aviation supervision.
Known Controversies & Unanswered Questions
Rebel Shoot-down Claims
Reference ↗Two days after the crash, rebels in the South Kordofan region claimed they had shot down the aircraft. This was later denied by a rebel spokesman, and the official investigation found no evidence of military action, attributing the crash to weather and CFIT.