Yemenia Flight 626
{{Short description|2009 aviation accident near Comoros}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2014}}
{{Infobox aircraft occurrence
| name = Yemenia Flight 626
| image = Yemenia - Yemen Airways Airbus A310-324 7O-ADJ (24810712645).jpg
| image_upright =
| alt =
| caption = 7O-ADJ, the aircraft involved in the accident, pictured in April 2007
| occurrence_type = Accident
| date = {{start date|2009|06|30|df=y}}
| summary = Stalled on approach due to pilot error; impacted ocean
| site = Indian Ocean, near Comoros
| coordinates = {{Coord|11|22|17.54|S|43|13|30.07|E|region:KM_type:event|display=inline,title}}
| aircraft_type = Airbus A310-324
| aircraft_name =
| operator = Yemenia
| IATA = IY626
| ICAO = IYE626
| callsign = YEMENIA 626
| tail_number = 7O-ADJ
| origin = Sana'a International Airport
| stopover =
| stopover0 =
| last_stopover =
| destination = Prince Said Ibrahim International Airport
| occupants = 153
| passengers = 142
| crew = 11
| fatalities = 152
| injuries = 1
| missing =
| survivors = 1
}}
Yemenia Flight 626 was a flight on an Airbus A310-324 twin-engine jet airliner operated by Yemenia that was flying a scheduled international service, from Sana'a in Yemen to Moroni in Comoros, when it crashed on 30 June 2009 at around 1:50 am local time (10:50 pm on 29 June UTC) while on approach to Prince Said Ibrahim International Airport, killing all but one of the 153 passengers and crew on board. The sole survivor, 12-year-old girl Bahia Bakari,{{#tag:ref|The age of Bakhari at the time of the accident was also reported to be 14.|group="nb"}} was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for thirteen hours. Bakari was discharged from the hospital on 23 July 2009.
The final report on the incident concluded that the crew's inappropriate flight control inputs led to an aerodynamic stall. The report also noted that the crew did not react to the warnings being issued by the aircraft.{{cite web |date=25 June 2013 |title=Rapport Final sur l'Accident Survenu le 29 Juin 2009 En mer au large de Moroni (Comores) De l'Airbus A310-324 Immatriculé 7O-ADJ Exploité par la compagnie Yemenia Airways |trans-title=Final Report on the Accident on June 29, 2009 At sea off Moroni (Comoros) Of the Airbus A310-324 Registered 7O-ADJ Operated by the company Yemenia Airways |url=http://www.bea.aero/docspa/2009/7o-j090629/pdf/7o-j090629.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140723184532/http://www.bea.aero/docspa/2009/7o-j090629/pdf/7o-j090629.pdf |archive-date=23 July 2014 |access-date=19 July 2013 |publisher=National Civil Aviation and Meteorological Agency |pages=11–12 |language=fr |via=Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety}}
Aircraft
The aircraft was an Airbus A310-324 twin-engine jetliner, registration 7O-ADJ, manufactured in 1990 as serial number 535. It was in service for 19 years and 3 months, and had accumulated 53,587 flight hours on 18,129 flight cycles at the time of the accident.{{cite web|title=Current News|url=http://www.jacdec.de/news/news.htm|access-date=30 June 2009|publisher=Jet Airliner Crash Data Evaluation Centre|archive-date=27 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100227035307/http://www.jacdec.de/news/news.htm|url-status=live}}
Owned by the International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) the aircraft first entered service with Air Liberté on 30 May 1990.{{Cn|date=January 2025}} After leases to successive operators it was leased to Yemenia in September 1999, re-registered 7O-ADJ and remained in service with them until the accident.{{Cn|date=January 2025}}
Dominique Bussereau, the French Secretary of State for Transport, reported that the plane was inspected in 2007 by the French Directorate General for Civil Aviation and found to have a number of faults; since then, however, the aircraft had not returned to France, so it was never again inspected by the same authority.
Flight history
Most of the passengers originated from Paris, where they had boarded Yemenia Flight 749 (an Airbus A330-200). There was a stopover at Marseille Provence Airport in Marseille, France, where additional passengers and crew boarded. After arriving at Sana'a International Airport in Sana'a, Yemen, passengers transferred to an Airbus A310 for Flight 626, which was due to arrive at Prince Said Ibrahim International Airport in Moroni, Comoros, at 2:30 am local time on 30 June.{{cite web|title=Bodies 'found' from crashed Yemeni airliner|url=http://www.france24.com/en/20090630-yemeni-airways-wreckage-bodies-spotted-comoros-airbus-iy626|publisher=France 24|access-date=30 June 2009|date=30 June 2009|archive-date=3 July 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090703065038/http://www.france24.com/en/20090630-yemeni-airways-wreckage-bodies-spotted-comoros-airbus-iy626|url-status=live}}
The flight crew consisted of Captain Khaled Hajeb (44), First Officer Ali Atef (50), and Flight Engineer Ali Salem, all of whom were Yemeni. The cabin crew included three Yemeni members, one from the Philippines, two from Morocco, one from Ethiopia, and one from Indonesia.{{Cite news |date=1 December 2009 |title=Yemenia crew bodies arrive in Sana'a |url=http://www.sabanews.net/en/news199578.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716055347/http://www.sabanews.net/en/news199578.htm |archive-date=16 July 2011 |access-date=14 May 2010 |work=Saba News Agency}}
Captain Hajeb had been working for Yemenia since 1989 and became an A310 captain in 2005. He had 7,936 flight hours, including 5,314 hours on the Airbus A310. Hajeb had previously flown to Moroni 25 times. First officer Atef had been with the airline since 1980, and he was qualified to fly the Airbus A310 in 2004. Atef had 3,641 flight hours, with 3,076 on the Airbus A310 and had previously flown to Moroni 13 times.{{Rp|11–12}}
Accident
The crash occurred at night, off the north coast of Grande Comore, Comoros, in the Indian Ocean several minutes from the airport.{{cite news|url=http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/Y/YEMEN_PLANE_CRASH?SITE=NDBIS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2009-07-05-14-00-47|title=French: Sub hears signal from Yemenia black boxes|date=5 July 2009|publisher=Associated Press in Bismarck Tribune}}{{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} The aircraft was on approach to runway 02, which was to be followed by a visual circle-to-land procedure for runway 20. However, the pilots failed to stabilize the aircraft's altitude and attitude in the circle-to-land procedure; the aircraft eventually stalled and crashed into the sea.{{Cite web |title=ASN Aircraft accident Airbus A310-324 7O-ADJ Mitsamiouli |url=https://asn.flightsafety.org/asndb/321482 |access-date=3 May 2018 |website=Aviation Safety Network |archive-date=15 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190815113336/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20090630-0 |url-status=live }} An unnamed United Nations official at the airport said that the control tower had received a notification that the plane was approaching to land before losing contact.{{cite web| url = http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2009/07/01/2003447525| work = The Taipei Times| access-date = 1 July 2009| date = 1 July 2009| title = Yemeni plane crashes in ocean| archive-date = 4 July 2009| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090704111340/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2009/07/01/2003447525| url-status = live}} An unseasonably strong cold front had moved through the Comoros Islands, bringing winds gusting to {{convert|64|km/h|mph kn|abbr=on}} and conditions favorable for light to moderate turbulence.{{cite web |url=http://www.weathergraphics.com/tim/iy626/ |title=Yemenia Flight 626: A detailed meteorological analysis |first=Tim |last=Vasquez |date=30 June 2009 |access-date=2 July 2009 |archive-date=4 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090704082601/http://www.weathergraphics.com/tim/iy626/ |url-status=live }} Yemeni civil aviation deputy chief Mohammed Abdul Qader said the wind speed was {{convert|61|km/h|mph kn|abbr=on}} at the time the aircraft was landing.
Yemeni officials did not suspect foul play.{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/06/30/yemen.plane.crash/index.html|work=CNN|title=Child found alive after plane crashes in sea|date=30 June 2009|access-date=30 June 2009|archive-date=29 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150529143722/http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/06/30/yemen.plane.crash/index.html|url-status=live}}
This was the third accident for Yemenia; the previous two were runway excursions with no fatalities, although one aircraft was written off.{{cite web|last=Ranter|first=Harro|title=Yemenia Airways|url=https://asn.flightsafety.org/database/operators/4562|access-date=30 June 2009|website=aviation-safety.net|publisher=Aviation Safety Network|archive-date=16 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016120648/http://aviation-safety.net/database/operator/airline.php?var=4562|url-status=live}}
Search and recovery
File:Yemenia-626-crash.png|publisher=CBS|agency=Associated Press|url=http://cbs5.com/national/yemenia.plane.crash.2.1066879.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090715230326/http://cbs5.com/national/yemenia.plane.crash.2.1066879.html|archive-date=15 July 2009}}]]
According to the Comoran police, the nation possesses no sea rescue capabilities.{{cite news|date=30 June 2009|title=Jet Goes Down in Indian Ocean With 153 Aboard|work=The New York Times|agency=Reuters|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/30/world/africa/30yemen.html|issn=0362-4331|access-date=26 February 2017|archive-date=27 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180127073752/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/30/world/africa/30yemen.html|url-status=live}} Two French military aircraft and a vessel began the formal search for Flight 626. They were sent from Réunion and Mayotte. The Comoros archipelago consists of four volcanic islands, Grande Comore, the main island; Anjouan; and Moheli, as well as Mayotte, which is an overseas French territory and not part of the Union of the Comoros. It is located in the Mozambique Channel, {{cvt|300|km|mi}} northwest of Madagascar and a similar distance east of the African mainland.{{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article6606836.ece |title=Plane with 150 on board crashes into Indian Ocean |work=The Times |location=London |access-date=30 June 2009 |date=30 June 2009 |first=Anne |last=Barrowclough |archive-date=26 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200126124244/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/ |url-status=dead }} The wreckage was spotted off the coast of the town of Mitsamiouli, including a few bodies and large amounts of floating debris in the ocean.
=Survivor found=
12-year-old girl Bahia Bakari was rescued after being spotted clinging to a piece of debris among bodies and wreckage. She was picked up during rescue efforts by local fishermen and speedboats sent by authorities on Grande Comore.{{cite web|url=http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20090701/twl-crashed-plane-s-black-box-located-41f21e0.html |publisher=Yahoo News |access-date=1 July 2009 |date=1 July 2009 |title=Crashed plane's black box located |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090704215214/http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20090701/twl-crashed-plane-s-black-box-located-41f21e0.html |archive-date=4 July 2009 }} She had been holding on to wreckage for 13 hours. Bakari had been traveling with her mother, who did not survive. Bakari was released from hospital in Paris, where she also lived, on 23 July 2009.
=Continued searches=
Five bodies were recovered at the same time that the lone survivor was rescued. Another 22 bodies were recovered from Mafia Island in Tanzania during the second week of July 2009, and transferred to hospitals in Dar es Salaam.{{cite news|url=http://www.france24.com/en/20090710-yemenia-crash-victims-bodies-found-comoros|title=More Yemenia crash victims' bodies found|publisher=France 24|access-date=10 July 2009|date=10 July 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090921175618/http://www.france24.com/en/20090710-yemenia-crash-victims-bodies-found-comoros|archive-date=21 September 2009|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}
On 5 July 2009, the signals from the aircraft's flight recorders were detected.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8134961.stm|title=Yemenia crash jet signal detected|work=BBC News|access-date=5 July 2009|date=5 July 2009|archive-date=6 July 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090706012111/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8134961.stm|url-status=live}} The French oceanographic vessel Beautemps-Beaupré arrived at the Comoros on 15 July 2009, and by 23 July 2009 had completed a mapping of the ocean floor around the crash area, which helped pinpoint the exact location of the recorders.{{Cite news|date=17 July 2009|title=Crash Yemenia: un navire français aux Comores pour les boîtes noires|language=fr|trans-title=Yemenia Crash: a French ship in the Comoros for the black boxes|agency=Agence France-Presse|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jZCYZ1hgzYFSIXKtpf3bZMj9PiSQ|access-date=19 July 2009|archive-date=3 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110303105359/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jZCYZ1hgzYFSIXKtpf3bZMj9PiSQ|url-status=dead}}{{Cite news | url = https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5irTVPVlIDiRBhICkYvFUbq1j69cQD99K5LC00 |title = French navy detects Comoros crash black boxes |agency=AP |access-date=27 July 2009|date=23 July 2009}}{{dead link|date=June 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} Due to the great depth of the recorders' current location, the French navy had announced that it would employ underwater robots for the recovery operation, which began in August 2009. The flight data recorder (FDR) was eventually recovered on 28 August from the Indian Ocean at a depth of {{Convert|1200|m|ft}}, while the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) was recovered on 29 August.{{cite news |date=28 August 2009 |title=Comoros crash 'black box' found |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8226685.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090829102418/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8226685.stm |archive-date=29 August 2009 |access-date=28 August 2009 |work=BBC News}}{{Cite news | url = https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ioZglmoOeGq2mLZBkTRj_jc3aIfwD9ACHJ5G0 |title = 2nd black box recovered from Comoros plane crash |agency=Associated Press |access-date=30 August 2009|date=29 August 2009}}{{dead link|date=June 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
Investigation
The National Civil Aviation and Meteorological Agency (ANACM) of the Comoros was in charge of the investigation.{{Cite press release |title=Flight IY 626 on 30 June 2009 A310-300, registered 7O-ADJ |access-date=6 May 2011 |url=http://www.bea.aero/en/enquetes/flight.iy.626/flight.iy.626.php |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130707163001/http://www.bea.aero/en/enquetes/flight.iy.626/flight.iy.626.php |publisher=Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety |archive-date=7 July 2013}} The French Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA) sent an investigative team, accompanied by Airbus specialists, to assist in the investigation of the causes.{{cite press release |date=30 June 2009 |title=Press release 30 June 2009 |url=http://www.bea.aero/anglaise/actualite/iy626/pressrelease20090630.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120527054437/http://www.bea.aero/anglaise/actualite/iy626/pressrelease20090630.html |archive-date=27 May 2012 |access-date=30 June 2009 |publisher=BEA |df=dmy-all}} Yemen also sent a technical team to Moroni, while a committee, headed by the Yemeni Minister of Transport, was formed.{{Cite web |title=Update: Press Release, High Commission of Civil Aviation Accidents |url=http://yemenpost.net/Detail123456789.aspx?ID=3&SubID=977 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090703191905/http://yemenpost.net/Detail123456789.aspx?ID=3&SubID=977 |archive-date=3 July 2009 |access-date= |website=Yemen Post}} The BEA noted that due to corrosion damage on the memory cards, not all of the data from the CVR could be recovered.{{cite web|date=25 June 2011|title=Rapport d'étape sur l'Accident Survenu le 29 Juin 2009 En mer au large de Moroni (Comores) De l'Airbus A310-324 Immatriculé 7O-ADJ Exploité par la compagnie Yemenia Airways|trans-title=Progress report on the Accident on June 29, 2009 at sea off Moroni (Comoros) to the Airbus A310-324 Registered 7O-ADJ operated by the company Yemenia Airways|url=http://www.bea.aero/docspa/2009/7o-j090629e1/pdf/7o-j090629e1.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181210143925/https://www.bea.aero/docspa/2009/7o-j090629e1/pdf/7o-j090629e1.pdf|archive-date=10 December 2018|publisher=National Civil Aviation and Meteorological Agency|language=fr|via=Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety}} The preliminary findings of the investigation pointed to pilot error as the cause of the accident, bringing objections from the Comoros and Yemeni authorities.{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB125772122141737159?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_world |title=Pilot Error Suspected in Yemenia Airways Crash |work=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=10 November 2009 |first=Andy |last=Pasztor |date=10 November 2009 |archive-date=27 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327025402/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB125772122141737159?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_world |url-status=live }} In November 2009, Yemenia announced that they were looking for a third party to investigate the accident, accusing the French of attacking Yemenia "day and night" and of "harassment". Yemenia stated that the investigation was "affecting the reputation of Yemen".{{cite web |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/11/17/335005/dubai-09-yemenia-seeks-third-party-to-investigate-a310.html |title=Dubai 09: Yemenia seeks third party to investigate A310 crash |first=Max |last=Kingsley-Jones |work=Flight International |access-date=26 November 2009 |archive-date=21 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091121064328/http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/11/17/335005/dubai-09-yemenia-seeks-third-party-to-investigate-a310.html |url-status=live }} In 2011 the BEA criticized the Comorian authorities, saying that they are not releasing the report in a timely enough manner.{{Cite magazine |last=Wall |first=Robert |date=20 July 2011 |title=BEA Blasts Comoros Over Yemenia Crash |url=http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=mro&id=news/awx/2011/07/19/awx_07_19_2011_p0-349274.xml |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120718203644/http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=mro&id=news/awx/2011/07/19/awx_07_19_2011_p0-349274.xml |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 July 2012 |access-date=18 April 2012 |magazine=Aviation Week & Space Technology}}
On 25 June 2013, the Comoros investigative commission director Bourhane Ahmed Bourhane announced that "the accident was due to inappropriate action by the crew" during "an unstabilised manoeuvre."{{cite news |url=http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/06/25/crew-to-blame-for-200-comoros-plane-crash-probe/ |title=Crew to blame for 2009 Comoros plane crash: probe |work=Fox News |access-date=28 June 2013 |date=25 June 2013 |archive-date=26 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130626132135/http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/06/25/crew-to-blame-for-200-comoros-plane-crash-probe/ |url-status=live }} A group of victims' family members called for a demonstration in Paris on 28 June 2013 to protest the final report.{{cite news|date=27 June 2013|title=Yemenia: la colère des familles de victimes|language=fr|trans-title=Yemenia: the anger of the families of the victims|work=Info la Reunion|url=http://www.linfo.re/Ocean-Indien-Societe/513625-Yemenia-les-familles-des-victimes-appellent-a-manifester|url-status=dead|access-date=28 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130630002210/http://www.linfo.re/Ocean-Indien-Societe/513625-Yemenia-les-familles-des-victimes-appellent-a-manifester|archive-date=30 June 2013|df=dmy-all}} According to the Yemen Post, Yemen suspects that the plane was taken down, despite a lack of any evidence indicating foul play.{{cite news |url=http://yemenpost.net/Detail123456789.aspx?ID=3&SubID=7003 |title=Yemenia takes the blame over Comoros crash, 2009 |work=Yemen Post |access-date=28 June 2013 |date=26 June 2013 |archive-date=27 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130627013528/http://yemenpost.net/Detail123456789.aspx?ID=3&SubID=7003 |url-status=live }}
The investigation determined that the accident was caused by the inappropriate actions of the crew that led to a stall from which the aircraft did not recover. The approach was unstabilized, triggering various alarms for ground proximity, aircraft configuration and approach to stall. The crew was focused on navigating, were stressed, and did not respond adequately to the different alarms. Contributing to the accident were the windy weather conditions, a lack of training, the lack of a crew briefing before the flight, and a failure to correctly respond to the pull up alarm.{{rp|72}}{{Cite web |last=Hradecky |first=Simon |date=2013-06-29 |title=Crash: Yemenia A313 near Moroni on Jun 30th 2009, impacted ocean |url=http://avherald.com/h?article=41befd4e/0000&opt=0 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718020947/http://avherald.com/h?article=41befd4e/0000&opt=0 |archive-date=18 July 2021 |access-date=2020-09-21 |website=The Aviation Herald}}
Passengers and crew
File:Comores-270610-silence.jpg (left of centre, in black) at a one-year anniversary ceremony in Paris – Also in the picture are Daniel Goldberg, Annick Lepetit, and Stéphane Troussel.]]
There were 142 passengers and 11 crew aboard. Most passengers are believed to have been either Comorian or French nationals. There were also citizens of Canada, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Morocco, Israeli Arabs, the Philippines and Yemen on board the plane.{{cite news|title=Fingers pointed at Yemenia Airways after Airbus crash|url=http://www.france24.com/en/20090630-child-rescued-alive-after-yemeni-airbus-crash-|work=France 24|date=30 June 2009|access-date=30 June 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090703061724/http://www.france24.com/en/20090630-child-rescued-alive-after-yemeni-airbus-crash-|archive-date=3 July 2009|df=dmy-all}} An airport source has claimed that 66 of the passengers held French citizenship, but many of those could be dual French-Comorian citizens. Many may have been residents of Marseille, a French city with a large Comorian population, headed home for a vacation; the week of the accident marks the beginning of summer vacations for French school children. The two other persons on board were said to be Europeans.{{cite news|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/06/29/yemen.plane.crash/index.html|title=Yemeni plane crashes with 154 aboard|date=30 June 2009|publisher=CNN|access-date=30 June 2009|archive-date=9 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109012601/http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/06/29/yemen.plane.crash/index.html|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last1=Amir|first1=Ahmed|last2=Cawthorne|first2=Andrew|last3=Hemming|first3=Jon|date=29 June 2009|title=Yemeni plane crashes in Comoros, 150 on board|work=News|publisher=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE55T03R20090630|access-date=30 June 2009|archive-date=5 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090805075319/http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE55T03R20090630|url-status=live}} The three flight crew members were all Yemeni. Of the cabin crew, 3 were Yemeni, 2 were Moroccan, 1 was Filipino, 1 was Ethiopian, and 1 was Indonesian.
Controversy
The French Secretary of State for Transport Dominique Bussereau said that France had banned the plane from its territory several years prior, because "we believed it presented a certain number of irregularities in its technical equipment."{{cite news |work=BBC News |date=30 June 2009 |access-date=1 July 2009 |title=France 'banned Yemen crash plane' |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8126576.stm |archive-date=1 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090701011657/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8126576.stm |url-status=live }} However, the Yemeni Transport Minister Khaled Ibrahim Alwazir declared the plane was in line with international standards and that "comprehensive inspection" had been undertaken in Yemen with experts from Airbus. The Comoran community in France marched in Paris, in tribute to the victims of Flight 626.{{cite web|url=http://www.lemonde.fr/web/recherche_breve/1,13-0,37-1090094,0.html|title=La communauté comorienne manifeste à Paris|date=5 July 2009|work=Le Monde|language=fr|trans-title=The Comorian community demonstrates in Paris|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605001915/http://www.lemonde.fr/web/recherche_breve/1,13-0,37-1090094,0.html|archive-date=5 June 2011|access-date=10 July 2009|df=dmy-all}} They also disrupted Yemenia flights, protesting in French airports against the airline's safety record and preventing passengers from boarding or checking-in. As a result, Yemenia indefinitely canceled all its flights to and from Marseille{{cite web | publisher = France 24 | date = 3 July 2009 | access-date = 10 July 2009 | title = Yemenia suspends flights to and from Marseille | url = http://www.france24.com/en/20090703-yemenia-suspends-flights-marseille-comoros-sarkozy-bahia-bakari | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090707010126/http://www.france24.com/en/20090703-yemenia-suspends-flights-marseille-comoros-sarkozy-bahia-bakari | archive-date = 7 July 2009 | url-status = dead | df = dmy-all }} and all additional flights between Sana'a and Moroni.{{cite web | publisher = France 24 | date = 5 July 2009 | access-date = 10 July 2009 | title = Yemenia to maintain regular Sana'a-Moroni flights | url = http://www.france24.com/en/20090705-yemenia-maintain-regular-sanaa-moroni-flights-comoros-crash-airplane | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090706124329/http://www.france24.com/en/20090705-yemenia-maintain-regular-sanaa-moroni-flights-comoros-crash-airplane | archive-date = 6 July 2009 | url-status = dead | df = dmy-all }}
Burial and repatriation of bodies
As of Tuesday, 1 December 2009, remains of nine crew members had been retrieved and arrived in Sana'a. The crew members found were Captain Khaled Hajeb, First Officer Ali Atef, the three Yemeni cabin crew members, the two Moroccan cabin crew members, and the Ethiopian cabin crew member. One cabin crew member, Hamdi Wazea, was buried in Sana'a, while the other Yemenis who were found were buried in Aden. The bodies of the Moroccans were sent to Morocco, while the Ethiopian was sent to Addis Ababa. The crew members who had not been found included Yemeni engineer Ali Salem, the Filipino cabin crew member, and the Indonesian cabin crew member. In the last two days leading to 1 December, 54 bodies were buried in Moroni.
Notes
See also
References
{{Reflist|30em|refs=
{{cite news|title=France charges Yemenia Airways over deadly 2009 crash|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-25943093|work=BBC News|date=29 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812154144/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-25943093|archive-date=12 August 2017}}
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External links
- [http://yemenia.com/DisplaySectionDetail.aspx?ID=240 News Flight 626] – Yemenia Airways ([https://web.archive.org/web/20130602161517/http://yemenia.com/DisplaySectionDetail.aspx?ID=240 Archive])
- National Civil Aviation and Meteorological Agency {{in lang|fr}}
- [http://www.bea.aero/docspa/2009/7o-j090629/pdf/7o-j090629.pdf Final report on the accident] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20140723184532/http://www.bea.aero/docspa/2009/7o-j090629/pdf/7o-j090629.pdf Archive]) {{in lang|fr}}
- [http://www.bea.aero/docspa/2009/7o-j090629e1/pdf/7o-j090629e1.pdf Interim report on the accident] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20140723183114/http://www.bea.aero/docspa/2009/7o-j090629e1/pdf/7o-j090629e1.pdf Archive]) {{in lang|fr}}
- "[http://www.anacm-comores.com/raports-incidents.php Accident de l'A310 de Yemenia Airways Commission d'enquête technique]." ([https://archive.today/20130707162925/http://www.anacm-comores.com/raports-incidents.php Archive]) {{in lang|fr}}
- Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety
- "[http://www.bea.aero/anglaise/actualite/iy626/press.releases.html Flight IY 626 on 30 June 2009]{{Dead link|date=March 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}." ([https://archive.today/20130707163001/http://www.bea.aero/en/enquetes/flight.iy.626/flight.iy.626.php Archive])
- "[http://www.bea.aero/fr/enquetes/vol.iy.626/lettre.commission.d.enquete.comorienne.5juillet2011.pdf Lettre du Directeur du BEA au Président de la Commission d'enquête de l'Union des Comores] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140723210741/http://www.bea.aero/fr/enquetes/vol.iy.626/lettre.commission.d.enquete.comorienne.5juillet2011.pdf |date=23 July 2014 }}." ([https://www.bea.aero/uploads/tx_elyextendttnews/lettre.commission.d.enquete.comorienne.5juillet2011.pdf Alternate]) ([https://web.archive.org/web/20140723210741/http://www.bea.aero/fr/enquetes/vol.iy.626/lettre.commission.d.enquete.comorienne.5juillet2011.pdf Archive]) {{in lang|fr}}
- [http://www.aviation-civile.gouv.fr/html/actu_gd/actu_2009/063001_accident_yemenia.html Accident d'un Airbus A310 de la compagnie Yemenia Airways] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20090705215414/http://www.aviation-civile.gouv.fr/html/actu_gd/actu_2009/063001_accident_yemenia.html Archive]) – Directorate General for Civil Aviation {{in lang|fr}}
- "[http://yemenembassy.ca/doc/Statement%20Yemenia%20Crash.pdf STATEMENT Subject: Initial report on the crashed Yemenia airplane 70-ADJ, flight IY626 to Moroni]." Embassy of Yemen in Canada. ([https://web.archive.org/web/20130512224832/http://yemenembassy.ca/doc/Statement%20Yemenia%20Crash.pdf Archive])
- {{YouTube|id=zav0xYT6xAo|title=Yemenia Flight 626 cockpit voice recording}}
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