On 1 July 1983, a CAAK Ilyushin Il-62M operating a scheduled international charter flight from

Pyongyang Pyongyang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is sometimes labeled as the "Capital of the Revolution" (). Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. Accordi ...

, North Korea to

Conakry Conakry ( , ; ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guinea. A port city, it serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea. Its population as of the 2014 Guinea census was 1,660,973. The current population of C ...

Guinea via

Bamako Bamako is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2022 population of 4,227,569. It is located on the Niger River, near the rapids that divide the upper and middle Niger valleys in the southwestern part of the country. Bamak ...

, Mali, carrying 23 passengers and crew, crashed into mountainous terrain whilst approaching

Conakry International Airport Conakry ( , ; ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of Guinea. A port city, it serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea. Its population as of the 2014 Guinea census was 1,660,973. The current population of Conakry is diff ...

. All 23 occupants on board were killed. The aircraft was flying from

with construction cargo and workers ahead of the 1984

Organization of African Unity The Organisation of African Unity (OAU; , OUA) was an African intergovernmental organization established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 33 signatory governments. Some of the key aims of the OAU were to encourage political and ec ...

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. It remains the first and only known fatal aviation accident involving the airline.

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 Pyongyang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is sometimes labeled as the "Capital of the Revolution" (). Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. Accordi ...

to complete work on a hall ahead of the twentieth

summit scheduled to take place in

Conakry, Guinea Conakry ( , ; ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of Guinea. A port city, it serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea. Its population as of the 2014 Guinea census was 1,660,973. The current population of Conakry is diff ...

, in May 1984. The flight was operated by the Civil Aviation Administration of Korea.

Accident

On 1 July 1983, P-889 crashed in the Guinean highland region of

Fouta Djallon Fouta Djallon (, , ; ) is a Highland (geography), highland region in the center of Guinea, roughly corresponding with Middle Guinea, in West Africa. Etymology The Fulani people call the region Fouta Jallon Kingdom, Fuuta-Jaloo ( ) in the Pular l ...

, near the town of

Labé Labé ( Pular: 𞤂𞤢𞤦𞤫) is the main city and administrative capital of the Fouta Djallon region of Guinea. It has a population of about 200,000. It is the second largest city in the country after the capital Conakry in terms of economic i ...

, 160 miles northwest of

, as it was attempting to land at Conakry International Airport. All 23 passengers and crew were killed.

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. Per ''

The Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are distributed to its members, major ...

'', as "Guinea has a reputation for being one of the most secretive countries in the region", quoting the ''

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

'', "the lack of official details about the crash is not surprising." Initial reports from a radio based in

did not give details surrounding the accident, such as when the plane crashed nor the amount of casualties, only calling what happened a catastrophe. The

Democratic Party of Guinea Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

called the crash a disaster. The Guinean Government declared two days of national mourning. A high-level delegation of Guinean government officials traveled to North Korea shortly after the crash to deliver official condolences to

Kim Il Sung Kim Il Sung (born Kim Song Ju; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he led as its first Supreme Leader (North Korean title), supreme leader from North Korea#Founding, its establishm ...

. The cause of the crash remains publicly unknown. However,

Airways News ''Airways'' is an American monthly magazine printed and also published digitally that focuses on commercial aviation. Based in Dallas, Texas, the publication is owned by Steve Cosgrove, with editorial offices in Britain, the United States and t ...

reported that

pilot error In aviation, pilot error generally refers to an action or decision made by a Aircraft pilot#Airline, pilot that is a substantial contributing factor leading to an Aviation accidents and incidents, aviation accident. It also includes a pilot ...

compounded by

fatigue Fatigue is a state of tiredness (which is not sleepiness), exhaustion or loss of energy. It is a signs and symptoms, symptom of any of various diseases; it is not a disease in itself. Fatigue (in the medical sense) is sometimes associated wit ...

was suspected to be the cause.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chosonminhang Ilyushin IL-62M crash 1983 in Guinea Aviation accidents and incidents in Guinea Aviation accidents and incidents in 1983 Accidents and incidents involving the Ilyushin Il-62 July 1983 in Africa Airliner accidents and incidents involving controlled flight into terrain Labé Region 1983 in North Korea

Background

Accident

Aftermath

See also

References