A plane crash that occurred in Unity State, South Sudan, on January 29, 2025, tragically led to the loss of 20 lives, leaving only one survivor. The plane, a Beechcraft 1900D operated by Light Air Services, was ferrying oil workers from the Greater Pioneer Operating Company (GPOC) to Juba, the capital city. Shortly after takeoff, the crash happened about 0.3 miles from the Unity oilfield airstrip at around 10:30 a.m.
The Beechcraft 1900D, a twin-turboprop aircraft, began production in 1991. It was a successor to the Beech 1900, which had its first flight in 1982.
The doomed flight carried 21 individuals: 19 passengers and two crew members. The passengers were 16 South Sudanese nationals, two Chinese nationals, and one Indian national. The crew members were Ugandan nationals. All the individuals on board were employees or associates of GPOC, a consortium that included the China National Petroleum Corporation and South Sudan’s Nile Petroleum Corporation.
The United Nations Radio Miraya initially reported 18 deaths, but later reports confirmed that two of the survivors had succumbed to their injuries, bringing the death count to 20.
Social media images displayed the wreckage of the overturned plane in a field, with debris strewn across the area. Some images disturbingly showed a body extending from the crushed fuselage.
The plane had safely landed at the Unity oilfield, carrying a top GPOC official. After engineers and technical staff boarded the return flight to Juba for a regular monthly shift, the aircraft crashed three minutes after takeoff, falling in a bushy area and causing severe damage to the plane.
President Salva Kiir expressed deep sorrow following the tragic event and called for a prompt investigation. Madut Biar Yel, the National Minister of Transport, stated that an air crash investigation team would conduct a comprehensive site inspection and collect evidence to establish the cause of the crash. The team retrieved the black box and voice recorder from the wreckage and sent them to the United States for examination in the manufacturer’s laboratory.
Several fatal air crashes have occurred in South Sudan in recent years, bringing attention to the country’s aviation safety. In 2015, a cargo plane crash near Juba International Airport resulted in 41 fatalities.
In 2021, a cargo aircraft carrying fuel for the UN’s World Food Programme crashed near Juba, leading to the deaths of five people.
Another plane crash near the Yirol airstrip in Lakes State in 2018 took the lives of 20 people, including a bishop. As per the Aviation Safety Network data, at least 87 people have perished in various plane crashes.
Light Air Services, the operator of the crashed aircraft, is headquartered in Juba and operates a fleet of five aircraft. The company has been in operation for 13 years and offers aviation services within South Sudan.
The GPOC consortium is engaged in petroleum exploration and production activities within South Sudan, especially in the Unity oilfields.
South Sudan, which received independence in 2011, continues to struggle with economic and infrastructural issues, including inadequate aviation safety oversight.