Khartoum - Khartoum

On October 15, 1994 at 12:00 AM, Khartoum - Khartoum experienced a crash involving Rockwell Sabreliner 40, operated by Essam al-Ridi, with the event recorded near Khartoum Khartoum (<U+0627><U+0644><U+062E><U+0631><U+0637><U+0648><U+0645>).

The flight was categorized as test and the reported phase was landing (descent or approach) at a airport (less than 10 km from airport) crash site.

2 people were known to be on board, 0 fatalities were recorded, 2 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 0.0%.

Crew on board: 2, crew fatalities: 0, passengers on board: 0, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is technical failure. In 1992 an Egyptian-American airline pilot, Essam al-Ridi, was tasked to purchase a light aircraft on behalf of Osama bin Laden who wanted to use it to ferry among other Stinger missiles from Afghanistan to Sudan. The aircraft was purchased and ferried to Khartoum, Sudan, where it was parked for a long period of time. In 1994 al-Ridi was asked to prepare the plane to be used. It appeared that the tires had deflated, the engine intakes and exhaust were full of sand and the batteries were dead. The tires were inflated and the hydraulics were charged with hydraulic fluid only, without using any nitrogen. The engines were started and the aircraft took off for a test flight. After flying three touch and goes the aircraft landed. The main braking system failed and the alternate braking system did not work either. Fuel was cut off and the engines were shut down. The aircraft failed to stop and traveled off the runway at a speed of 60 knots until it ran into a sandpile. The aircraft sustained substantial damage and was left behind at Khartoum. Source: ASN and http://cryptome.org/usa-v-ubl-05.htm

Aircraft reference details include registration N7143N, MSN 265-70, year of manufacture 1962.