America and South Sudan Hit by Air Disasters
America and South Sudan Hit by Air Disasters
Kanako Mita and Michiyo Tanabe
Modern Tokyo Times
America and South Sudan witnessed air disasters on January 29. This resulted in the deaths of over 80 people.
In America, a collision happened between a Sikorsky H-60 military helicopter and an American Airlines flight. Both crashed into the Potomac River.
Voice of America reports, “A Federal Aviation Administration statement said the jet, operated by American Airlines, was traveling from Wichita, Kansas, and was approaching its landing runway when the collision with the Sikorsky H-60 helicopter occurred around 9 p.m.”
The tragic incident happened when the American Airlines plane was approaching the Ronald Reagan National Airport in the environs of Washington.
60 passengers were on the American Airlines plane – and three American soldiers were on the Sikorsky helicopter. All are feared dead. Despite this, search and rescue teams are looking for survivors in the Potomac River.
The Guardian reports, “Thirty seconds before the crash, according to audio obtained by the Associated Press, an air traffic controller asked the pilot of the military Black Hawk helicopter if the arriving plane was in sight. Then they told the helicopter to pass behind the Bombardier CRJ-701 jet. Seconds later, a fireball could be seen over the Potomac River, and the plane’s radio transponder showed a sudden loss of altitude.”
George Bacon (former RAF pilot) informed the BBC: “I’ve flown as a military pilot in the US and I’m somewhat familiar with the airspace around Washington DC. It’s highly congested but civilian and military traffic share one radio frequency.”
Bacon also said that military pilots in America have greater freedom than their counterparts in the United Kingdom concerning airspace.
President Donald Trump of America said, “What a terrible night this has been.”
CNN reports, “US Figure Skating, the organization overseeing the sport nationwide, confirmed that ‘several members’ of its community were aboard the American Airlines flight which collided with a helicopter in Washington, DC, Wednesday evening.”
SOUTH SUDAN
South Sudan also witnessed an air disaster. This concerns oil workers being taken by a small aircraft. The death toll from this disaster is 20 people.
Reuters reports, “A small aircraft carrying oil workers in South Sudan’s Unity State crashed on Wednesday, killing 20 people, an official said. The plane crashed at the Unity oilfield airport on Wednesday morning as it was heading to the capital Juba, said Gatwech Bipal, Unity State’s information minister.”
One individual survived the plane disaster.
The BBC reports, “Among the victims are five foreign nationals: two Chinese, one Indian, and two Ugandan crew members. The 15 other victims were all South Sudanese.”
The oil workers were employed by the Greater Pioneer Company (GPOC).
China, India, Malaysia, and South Sudan operate the GPOC joint venture.
Modern Tokyo News is part of the Modern Tokyo Times group
http://moderntokyotimes.com Modern Tokyo Times – International News and Japan News
http://sawakoart.com – Sawako Utsumi and her website – Modern Tokyo Times artist
https://moderntokyonews.com Modern Tokyo News – Tokyo News and International News
PLEASE JOIN ON TWITTER
https://twitter.com/MTT_News Modern Tokyo Times
PLEASE JOIN ON FACEBOOK