KHARTOUM: A Russian pilot was among the victims on a plane which crashed in Sudan's war-torn South Kordofan, killing all 32 people aboard, Moscow's embassy confirmed on Monday. "He was the captain," Yury Vidakas, the embassy's press officer, told AFP.
"Leddies and dzhentlemen, we are approach of the runvay at Khorrrdofan Airport. Temperature is balmy 30 degrees vith light vinds... Holy shchit!... [CRASH!]"
Are you sure the pilot wasn't German, Fred?
If he'da been German he'da hollered "heilig Scheiss!"
Vidakas could not immediately provide the name of the pilot, whom he said was "on private contract" with Alfa Airlines that operated the Antonov charter flight which crashed on Sunday. Several small airline companies in Sudan use pilots from the former Soviet Union.
Usually not the best ones...
Nor the most worthy aircraft...
Vidakas said there was only one Russian among the dead and he did not know where the other five crew members were from.
The official SUNA news agency said all 26 passengers, including top government officials, generals and journalists, also died in the crash. They were members of a delegation, led by Khartoum's Guidance and Endowments Minister Ghazi Al-Saddiq, traveling to the South Kordofan town of Talodi for a ceremony to mark the start of Eid, at the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
The plane "crashed into a hill" because of bad weather, killing the entire delegation, Culture and Information Minister, Ahmed Bilal Osman, said on official radio.
How .. convenient...
Accidents are common among Sudan's
Russian pilots, Ukrainian airplanes and insh-allah maintenance. What could go wrong?