2025 Light Air Services Beechcraft 1900 crash. On 29 January 2025, a Beechcraft 1900D operated by Eagle Air on behalf of Light Air Services, performing a regularly scheduled charter flight from GPOC Unity Airstrip to Juba International Airport crashed in Unity State, located in the Greater Upper Nile region of South Sudan shortly after takeoff, killing 20 of the 21 occupants onboard. The aircraft was carrying oil workers, transporting them to the South Sudanese capital Juba.

Background
The aircraft involved in the accident was a 23 year old twin engined turboprop Beechcraft 1900D originally registered as N60069 before being delivered to New Zealand's Eagle Airways as ZK-EAF in 2002. Ugandan airline Eagle Air purchased the frame in 2016, bearing the registration 5X-RHB. The aircraft was stored until it was leased to Light Air Services in 2017.

Passengers and crew
There were 21 people aboard the aircraft; 19 passengers and two pilots. Sixteen of the passengers were South Sudanese, while one Indian, two Chinese nationals and two Ugandan crew were also on board. The aircraft was operated by Light Air Services aviation company and was chartered by the passengers' employer, the Chinese petroleum firm Greater Pioneer Oil Company (GPOC), which is a consortium of China National Petroleum Corporation and Nile Petroleum Corporation.

Accident 
The aircraft was performing a regularly scheduled charter flight. At around 10:30 am local time, the aircraft lost height and crashed into the ground around 10 minutes after takeoff at a distance of 500 meters from its airport of origin. A witness reported that the wing had snapped off, bringing the aircraft into an inverted position. Pictures shared on social media showed that debris were scattered across the site of the crash with the aircraft upside down.. Twenty of the 21 people on board were killed, including two who later died in hospital. The sole survivor of the crash was identified as South Sudanese engineer Emmanuel Maker, who was taken to the state hospital in Bentiu in critical condition.

Investigation
Saleh Akot, the director of Juba International Airport, said that the South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority deployed a team to the crash site to start the investigation. South Sudan Oil Minister Puot Kang Chol said an investigation into the cause of crash is underway, with his ministry cooperating with the Ministry of Transport, other local authorities and emergency services to ensure that a thorough examination is conducted. Authorities have not yet disclosed preliminary findings on the cause of the crash. Ter Manyang Gatwech, head of the Center for Peace and Advocacy (CPA), alleged that the accident was caused by the South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority's poor enforcement of safety standards, allowing aging and outdated aircraft to fly in South Sudan.

The National Minister of Transport said its air crash investigation department will retrieve the flight recorder from the wreckage of the crash and send it to the United States for further analysis.

Responses

International
The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed condolences in a press statement.

References 

2025 disasters in Africa
2025 in South Sudan
January 2025 events in Africa
Aviation accidents and incidents in 2025
Accidents and incidents involving the Beechcraft 1900
Aviation accidents and incidents in South Sudan
Rubkona County