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Daallo Airlines Flight 159

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Daallo Airlines Flight 159
The aircraft in the livery of one of its previous airlines, Air Méditerranée, 2013
Incident
Date2 February 2016 (2016-02-02)
SummaryBomb detonated, possibly in a suicide bombing. Official investigation ongoing.
SiteEn-route over Somalia
Aircraft
Aircraft typeAirbus A321-111
OperatorDaallo Airlines
RegistrationSX-BHS
Flight originAden Adde International Airport, Somalia
DestinationDjibouti–Ambouli International Airport
Passengers74
Crew7
Fatalities1
Injuries2
Survivors80

Daallo Airlines Flight 159 (DAO 159/D3 159) was a scheduled international passenger flight operated by Somali-owned Daallo Airlines. On 2 February 2016, an explosion occurred on board the aircraft 20 minutes after it took off from Mogadishu. The aircraft was able to return to the airport safely, with one fatality being reported. A subsequent investigation indicated that the explosion was caused by a bomb,[1][2] possibly as the result of a suicide attack.[3]

Aircraft

The aircraft involved was a 19-year-old Airbus A321-111, SX-BHS, owned by Hermes Airlines, and operated by Daallo Airlines at the time of the incident. The aircraft was delivered to Daallo Airlines on 5 January 2015. The aircraft had been previously operated by Hermes Airlines, Air Méditerranée, Myanmar Airways International and Swissair. The aircraft's manufacturer serial number is 642 and it first flew on 6 January 1997. The aircraft was delivered to Swissair on 21 January 1997. It is equipped with two CFM International CFM56 engines and has a 220-seat economy-only configuration.[4] In March 2013, it experienced a runway excursion after landing at Lyon–Saint-Exupéry Airport.[5]

Incident

On 2 February 2016, 20 minutes after taking off from Mogadishu, Somalia,[6] at 11:00 local time, en route to Djibouti City, at an altitude of about 14,000 ft (4,300 m),[7] there was an explosion aboard, opening a hole in the fuselage behind the R2 door.[8][9] It was reported that day that the explosion was most likely close to seats 15/16F, abeam the forward wing root[10] and the fuel tanks.[11] There were 74 passengers on board at the time of the incident.[12]

Reacting to the explosion, flight attendants moved passengers to the rear of the aircraft.[13] The crew turned the plane around and performed an emergency landing at Mogadishu's Aden Adde International Airport, which was briefly closed as a result.[1] Two injuries were reported, and a burnt body, thought to be that of the suicide bomber, fell from the aircraft, landing in the town of Dhiiqaaley near Balad, Somalia,[14] and was found by nearby residents.[15]

The flight had been delayed before departure, so at the time of the explosion the plane was not yet at cruising altitude and the cabin was not yet fully pressurized. It was thought that a laptop had been rigged with a timer device to explode the bomb mid-flight.[16][17]

According to Mohamed Ibrahim Yasin Olad, the CEO of Daallo Airlines, the suicide bomber and 69 of the 73 other passengers on board[2] were meant to board a Turkish Airlines flight, which was cancelled on the morning of 2 February due to poor weather conditions. This resulted in Daallo Airlines rerouting their passengers to Djibouti, where they would be transferred to a Turkish Airlines flight.[18] The cancellation of the Turkish Airlines flight was confirmed by Yahya Ustun, a spokesman for the company.[2]

Investigation

Somalia's Air Accident Investigation Authority (SAAIA) stated on 3 February that one person was missing from the aircraft once it had returned to Mogadishu and later confirmed that the missing person's body was found near Balad.[12] An investigation into the bombing is underway by the National Intelligence and Security Agency, with the cooperation of airport authorities and local police. Daallo Airlines, in a statement, said that a technical team of Hermes Airlines, the owner of the aircraft, as well as the aircraft's manufacturer, Airbus, are also playing a role in the active investigation.[19] The FBI is also contributing its efforts to the investigation.[20]

Initial tests of the damage on Flight 159 confirmed traces of explosive residue.[1] Unconfirmed speculation has focused on the possibility of a bomb, possibly hidden within a laptop,[21] carried by a person in a wheelchair. The passenger was believed to have been transferred into a regular seat after being brought onto the plane. Two passengers on the plane, including one who was sitting in the next seat, have been arrested on suspicion of being accomplices.[6] On 6 February, Transport Minister Ali Ahmed Jamac confirmed that the explosion was caused by a bomb that "was meant to kill all onboard".[15][22]

Somali authorities identified the deceased passenger as Abdullahi Abdisalam Borleh, a 55-year-old male, from Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland region of Somalia,[23] but did not confirm that he was suspected of being the suicide bomber.[24][25][26] US investigators believe the attack was carried out by the Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab, but this has not been confirmed, and the group has not claimed responsibility for the attack.[22] A security camera recording from the airport shows two men, seemingly airport workers,[11] giving a laptop to Borleh.[20][27] US officials have said that investigators believe that the bomber had some type of connection to airline or airport personnel.[28]

At least 20 people,[29] including government officials and the two airline employees, have been arrested on suspicion of being linked to the attack.[21][30] The pilot, Vlatko Vodopivec, criticised the lack of security around the aircraft at the airport, describing the facility as "chaotic". In an interview with the Associated Press, Vodopivec explained: "the security is zero. When we park there, some 20 to 30 people come to the tarmac … No one has a badge or those yellow vests. They enter and leave the plane, and no one knows who is who… They can put anything inside when passengers leave the aircraft."[29]

Mohamed Ibrahim Yasin Olad, the chief of Daallo Airlines, stated that the airline would keep flying to Somalia, despite the incident. "We have been there for 25 years," he said. "Our efforts to keep Somalia linked to the rest of the world will continue."[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Botelho, Greg; Kriel, Robyn (2 February 2016). "Somalia jet explosion: 2 injured, hole left in plane". CNN. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d "Somalia plane bomber was meant to board Turkish flight: airline executive". Reuters. 8 February 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  3. ^ "'Somalia plane bomber given bomb in laptop' on CCTV". BBC News. 8 February 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  4. ^ "(Airbus A321 – MSN 642) (Ex F-GYAO HB-IOG)". Air Fleets. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  5. ^ Ranter, Harro (29 March 2013). "ASN Aircraft accident Airbus A321-111 SX-BHS Lyon Saint-Exupéry Airport (LYS)". Aviation Safety. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  6. ^ a b Freeman, Colin (4 February 2016). "'Wheelchair-bound suicide bomber' responsible for attack on Somali airline". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  7. ^ "Burning man sucked out of plane at 14,000ft after explosion on board". ABP Live. Associated Press. 3 February 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  8. ^ Rivers, Martin (2 February 2016). "Cause Of Daallo Airlines A321 Explosion Unclear: CEO". Forbes. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  9. ^ "Two Reported Injured After Explosion on Airliner in Somalia". VICE News. 2 February 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  10. ^ "Daallo Airlines A321 damaged by explosion at Mogadishu". JACDEC. 2 February 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  11. ^ a b Kriel, Robyn; Karimi, Faith (7 February 2016). "Airport workers seen with laptop used in Somalia in-flight jet blast". CNN. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  12. ^ a b Hradecky, Simon (2 February 2016). "Accident: Daallo A321 near Mogadishu on Feb 2nd 2016, explosion rips fuselage open". AV Herald. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  13. ^ Xaalada diyaaradii daallo ee hawada qaraxu kula dhacay. 2 February 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  14. ^ "AirLive.net: BREAKING Explosion on board an A321 few mins after taking off from Mogadishu". Air Live. 2 February 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  15. ^ a b "Somali plane 'was holed by bomb' after Mogadishu take-off". BBC News. 6 February 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  16. ^ Hruska, Joel (3 February 2016). "One killed in potential aircraft bombing, Somali jet makes emergency landing". ExtremeTech. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  17. ^ Rebello, Lara (3 February 2016). "Man sucked out of a hole created by blast on board Somalian aeroplane". International Business Times UK. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  18. ^ Mohamed, Hamza (7 February 2016). "Somali jet suspect 'checked in on Turkish Airlines'". Al jazeera.com. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  19. ^ "Press Release for Flight D3 159". DAALLO Airlines. 3 February 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  20. ^ a b Maruf, Harun (7 February 2016). "Somali Officials: Man Killed in Plane Bombing Given Laptop Before Flight". VOA. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  21. ^ a b "Somali airliner bombing suspect smuggled laptop onto plane: official". Debkafile. 7 February 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  22. ^ a b Minn, Duncan (6 February 2016). "Somali plane hit by bomb, meant to kill all on board: minister". Reuters. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  23. ^ "Turkish airlines had a prior knowledge of the terror attack of Daallo airlines". Mareeg. 9 February 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  24. ^ "Somali authorities identify the man that caused the blast on Daallo airlines". Somali Current. 6 February 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  25. ^ Nsubuga, Jimmy (5 February 2016). "Man 'sucked out of hole in plane was suicide bomber in wheelchair'". Metro. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  26. ^ Winsor, Morgan (4 February 2016). "Somalia Daallo Airlines Explosion: Wheelchair Passenger Suspected As Suicide Bomber". International Business Times. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  27. ^ Kriel, Robyn; Karimi, Faith (7 February 2016). "Airport workers handled jet blast laptop". WVTM. CNN. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  28. ^ "Somalia plane bomber was meant to board Turkish flight: Daallo CEO". The Globe and Mail. 9 February 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  29. ^ a b Guled, Abdi; Stojanovic, Dusan (7 February 2016). "Somalia Spokesman: Video Shows Laptop Handed To Bomb Suspect". Associated Press. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
  30. ^ "Somalia: Airport Staff, Airline Employees Detained Over Somali Plane Blast". GeeskaAfrika. 7 February 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
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