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1983 CAAK Ilyushin Il-62 crash
Passenger aircraft crash near Labé, Guinea From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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On 1 July 1983, a CAAK Ilyushin Il-62M operating a scheduled international charter flight from Pyongyang, North Korea to Conakry Guinea via Bamako, Mali, carrying 23 passengers and crew, crashed into mountainous terrain whilst approaching Conakry International Airport. All 23 occupants on board were killed.
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The aircraft was flying from Pyongyang with construction cargo and workers ahead of the 1984 Organization of African Unity summit due to take place the following year.
It remains the deadliest aviation accident in Guinean history, and was the tenth operational loss of an Il-62 since its introduction.[1] It remains the first and only known fatal aviation accident involving the airline.[2][3][4]
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Background
On 1 July 1983, the aircraft involved, P-889, was carrying construction material, as well as construction workers and technicians from Pyongyang, North Korea to complete work on a hall ahead of the twentieth Organization of African Unity summit scheduled to take place in Conakry, Guinea, in May 1984.[5][6][7] The flight was operated by the Civil Aviation Administration of Korea.[8]
Accident
On 1 July 1983, P-889 crashed in the Guinean highland region of Fouta Djallon, near the town of Labé, 160 miles northwest of Conakry International Airport, as it was attempting to land at Conakry International Airport.[9][10] All 23 passengers and crew were killed.[8]
Aftermath
It was the airline's first fatal accident. News of the crash was slow to spread and was only announced on 4 July due to difficulties in reaching the remote crash site.[9][11] Per The Associated Press, as "Guinea has a reputation for being one of the most secretive countries in the region", quoting the BBC, "the lack of official details about the crash is not surprising."[12]
Initial reports from a radio based in Conakry did not give details surrounding the accident, such as when the plane crashed nor the amount of casualties, only calling what happened a catastrophe.[13][14] The Democratic Party of Guinea called the crash a disaster.[15] The Guinean Government declared two days of national mourning.[13][12] A high-level delegation of Guinean government officials traveled to North Korea shortly after the crash to deliver official condolences to Kim Il Sung.[16]
The cause of the crash remains publicly unknown.[17][18] However, Airways News reported that pilot error compounded by fatigue was suspected to be the cause.[18]
See also
References
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