2017-MAR-20 · Wau Airport (WUU), South Sudan

South Supreme Airlines — Flight

A South Supreme Airlines Antonov An-26B was destroyed by fire after colliding with a fire truck during a landing attempt at Wau Airport in poor visibility. Despite the aircraft being completely consumed by flames, all 45 occupants survived the accident, with approximately 37 people sustaining injuries.

Aircraft
Antonov An-26B
Registration
S9-TLZ
Phase
Cause
Other
Souls on Board
49
Fatalities
0
Origin → Dest
Juba Airport (JUB), South Sudan → Wau Airport (WUU), South Sudan
Report

Investigation Summary

The flight departed Juba at 14:07 local time for a scheduled passenger service to Wau. Upon arrival at Wau, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with visibility reported at approximately 800 meters. During the landing roll on runway 27, the aircraft veered off the runway and collided with a fire truck parked on the apron (aircraft parking space). The impact caused the aircraft to burst into flames. The crew initiated an emergency evacuation, and all 49 occupants successfully exited the aircraft before it was consumed by fire. While initial reports on injuries varied, later reports indicated approximately 17 to 18 people were treated for injuries. The investigation, assisted by Ukraine's NBAAI, considered engine failure as a probable factor in the loss of control during landing.

Final Conclusions

The accident was caused by the aircraft striking a ground vehicle (fire truck) during its landing roll or short final in conditions of limited visibility. While the aircraft was a total loss, the successful evacuation of all 45 occupants resulted in zero fatalities.

Video Analysis

No video analysis linked for this case file yet.

Airframe & Maintenance

Airframe Hours
0
Engines
Ivchenko AI-24

Systems & Failure Modes

i

Landing Gear

The left main landing gear was the primary point of impact with the ground vehicle.

i

Ivchenko AI-24 Engines

The aircraft was powered by two Ivchenko AI-24 turboprop engines.

Interesting Facts

  • 01All 49 people on board survived the crash and subsequent fire.
  • 02The aircraft was an Antonov An-26B manufactured in 1983.
  • 03Visibility at the time of the accident was reported as approximately 800 meters.
  • 04The aircraft veered off the runway during landing and collided with a fire truck on the apron.
  • 05The investigation considered engine failure as a potential cause for the loss of control.
  • 06The airframe was completely destroyed and written off.

Known Controversies & Unanswered Questions

Passenger Count Discrepancies

Reference ↗

Initial reports and airline statements varied regarding the number of passengers, with some sources suggesting an intermediate stop in Aweil where passengers may have disembarked, though this was questioned due to the flight duration.

Location

Wau Airport (WUU), South Sudan · 7.7250, 27.9800

Case File History

  1. Status changeUpdated report status, casualty figures, investigation summary, event timeline and findings.

Related Cases

Case ID · south-supreme-wau-2017Last updated · Filed

© 2026 TechBridge Software Co., Ltd. — BlackBoxWiki is an open aviation reference. Not affiliated with any aviation authority.