On January 29, 2025, a devastating plane crash in Unity State, South Sudan, claimed the lives of 20 people. There was only one survivor. Light Air Services operated the aircraft, a Beechcraft 1900D, which was ferrying employees of the Greater Pioneer Operating Company (GPOC) from the Unity oilfield to Juba, the capital. The accident transpired roughly 547 yards from the oilfield’s airstrip, a few minutes after the plane’s takeoff at 10:30 a.m.
The Beechcraft 1900D, a twin-turboprop aircraft, entered production in 1991, evolving from the Beech 1900, which took its first flight in 1982.
The doomed plane was carrying 21 individuals, comprising 19 passengers and two crew members. The passengers included 16 South Sudanese, 2 Chinese, and 1 Indian, while the crew members were Ugandan. All occupants were connected to GPOC, a consortium that includes the China National Petroleum Corporation and South Sudan’s Nile Petroleum Corporation.
Initial reports from United Nations Radio Miraya reported 18 casualties, but the death toll was later confirmed as 20 after two survivors died from their injuries.
Social media images depicted the plane’s wreckage upside down in a field, with debris strewn across the vicinity. Some photos showed a body emerging from the wrecked fuselage.
The aircraft had landed safely at the Unity oilfield earlier in the day, carrying a top official from GPOC. The crash occurred three minutes after takeoff on the return flight to Juba, with engineers and technical staff on board for a routine monthly shift. The crash site was a bushy area, and the aircraft was severely damaged.
In the wake of the tragedy, President Salva Kiir expressed deep sorrow and ordered an immediate investigation. National Minister of Transport, Madut Biar Yel, announced that an air crash investigation team would conduct a thorough site inspection and collect evidence to ascertain the crash cause. The team’s plan includes retrieving the aircraft’s black box and voice recorder for analysis in the manufacturer’s laboratory in the United States.
South Sudan has seen a series of fatal airplane crashes in recent years, raising questions about the country’s aviation safety. In 2015, a cargo plane crashed near Juba International Airport, killing 41 people.
In 2021, a cargo plane carrying fuel for the UN’s World Food Programme crashed near Juba, resulting in five deaths.
A crash near the airstrip in Lakes State’s Yirol in 2018 claimed 20 lives, including a bishop. According to the Aviation Safety Network, at least 87 people have died in various airplane crashes.
Light Air Services, the operator of the crashed aircraft, is based in Juba and operates a fleet of five planes. The company, which has been in operation for 13 years, provides aviation services within South Sudan.
The GPOC consortium, involved in the crash, engages in petroleum exploration and production activities, particularly in South Sudan’s Unity oilfields.
South Sudan, which gained independence in 2011, continues to grapple with economic and infrastructural challenges, including limited oversight of aviation safety.
