The 1983 Chosonminhang Il-62 crash occurred on 1 July 1983 when an

Ilyushin Il-62M The Ilyushin Il-62 (russian: Илью́шин Ил-62; NATO reporting name: Classic) is a Soviet long-range narrow-body jetliner conceived in 1960 by Ilyushin. As successor to the popular turboprop Il-18 and with capacity for almost 200 p ...

being operated by the flag carrier airline of North Korea, Chosonminhang, crashed into mountainous terrain in the West African country of

Guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...

. All 23 people aboard were killed. The aircraft was flying from Pyongyang with construction cargo and numerous workers ahead of the 1984 Organization of African Unity summit due to take place the following year. It remains the deadliest aviation crash in Guinean history, and was the tenth operational loss of an Il-62 since its introduction.

Aircraft and flight

P-889 was a Soviet-made

manufactured by the Kazan Aviation Plant in early 1981. It was sold to North Korea's national airline, Chosonminhang (now called Air Koryo), the same year. With the exception of an aborted takeoff in 1982 due to an inadvertently opened cargo hatch, the aircraft had no incident history. On 1 July 1983, P-889 was carrying construction material, as well as several construction workers and technicians, from Pyongyang, North Korea to complete work on a hall ahead of the twentieth Organization of African Unity summit scheduled to take place in

Conakry, Guinea Conakry (; ; sus, Kɔnakiri; N’ko: ߞߐߣߊߞߙߌ߫, Fula: ''Konaakiri'' 𞤑𞤮𞤲𞤢𞥄𞤳𞤭𞤪𞤭) is the capital and largest city of Guinea. A port city, it serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea. Its ...

, in May 1984. P-889 made two intermediate stops on the way to Guinea, stopping in Kabul and Cairo to refuel.

Accident and aftermath

On 1 July 1983, P-889 crashed in the Guinean highland region of Fouta Djallon, near the town of Labé, 160 miles northwest of

Conakry International Airport Conakry (; ; sus, Kɔnakiri; N’ko: ߞߐߣߊߞߙߌ߫, Fula: ''Konaakiri'' 𞤑𞤮𞤲𞤢𞥄𞤳𞤭𞤪𞤭) is the capital and largest city of Guinea. A port city, it serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea. Its po ...

. All 23 aboard were killed. It was the airline's first fatal accident. News of the crash was slow to spread due to difficulties in reaching the remote crash site. Although the cause of the crash was never publicly released, pilot error compounded by

fatigue Fatigue describes a state of tiredness that does not resolve with rest or sleep. In general usage, fatigue is synonymous with extreme tiredness or exhaustion that normally follows prolonged physical or mental activity. When it does not resolve ...

is suspected. 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 ruled from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of ...

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 events in Asia Airliner accidents and incidents involving controlled flight into terrain Labé Region

Aircraft and flight

Accident and aftermath

See also

References