Thirty-five people narrowly escaped death when a United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) plane crash-landed at Malakal Airport on Friday.

The incident occurred after the aircraft, which had just taken off from Maban, experienced a critical failure when its tyres fell off moments into the flight.

The Director of South Sudan’s Civil Aviation, John David, confirmed the emergency landing to Radio Tamazuj. David stated that the exact cause of the malfunction was still under investigation.

“This is the second crash we’ve had recently. There was another incident last night. Our technical team is still gathering details, so I cannot provide further information at this time,” David said.

The crash at Malakal Airport adds to a troubling series of aviation incidents in South Sudan. On Wednesday, two pilots narrowly escaped death when their cargo plane crashed while attempting to land at an airstrip in Pieri Payam, Uror County, and Jonglei State.

A series of accidents recently further underscored the precarious state of air travel in the country.

On 8 August, a cargo aircraft caught fire after landing in Pieri Payam in Uror County of Jonglei State. The two-crew members on board suffered injuries and were treated at a local clinic. The accident caused a fire that spread to the huts adjacent to the airstrip, leading to the death of three people and injuries to others.

 In March 2024, a military cargo plane carrying supplies to Yida in the Ruweng Administrative Area crashed at Yida airstrip. In February 2024, a passenger aircraft operated by Africano Company, which was transporting returnees from the conflict in Sudan, crash-landed at the Malakal Airport. No injuries were reported.

In April 2023, a cargo plane carrying passengers crash-landed at the Juba International Airport with all passengers emerging unharmed. That followed a 2021 incident where a Let L-410 Turbolet of South Sudan Supreme Airlines crashed in Pieri during a domestic flight to the Yuai airstrip, again with no casualties.

The deadliest recent crash occurred in August 2020, when a cargo plane crashed into a farm in the Kemeru area shortly after taking off from the Juba International Airport. Eight people died, while a single passenger survived with injuries.

South Sudan’s challenging road infrastructure has made air transport a vital lifeline for many, contributing to the high frequency of aviation incidents in the region.