Garang’s superseded aircraft

By Watts Roba Gibia Nyirigwa*

May 10, 2006 — Since Garang’s death at helicopter crash on July 30, 2005 and the formation of probe team to excavate the real course of the crash, peace loving people and southern Sudanese in particular were very anxious waiting to know the actual truth behind the death of their Leader, and to put an end to their internal pain. But after nine months waiting, the report has placed the southern Sudanese community back to ambiguity and dilemma by unsatisfactorily report. Passing through the main points of the report, one finds it very hard to believe the entire scenario and, report’s unilaterally faulting of pilots or chief pilot Peter Nyakairu for the crash, without taking into consideration the surrounding circumstances and other involved factors. I wonder if anyone is satisfied with the report, as it is very hard for anyone to digest it, even Museveni as a person find it hard to convince himself that other factors were not involved when plane crashed. But it is undoubtedly that Garang was made to fly a superseded helicopter at night and in very bad weather conditions, as the plane has been grounded in the country for a week after its receipt from manufacturers on July 21, 2005. President Museveni said “the helicopter is well equipped, this was my helicopter the one I am flying all the time”. But did Museveni fly his helicopter after its overhaul, I wonder, and as whether in his trip to his home country Mbarara, Museveni used his helicopter! I think Museveni has never flown his helicopter since its modernization and re-assembly, might be he has doubts about worthiness of his helicopter after repair. Thus, Museveni’s allegation that the aircraft is well equipped with modern instruments to stand bad weather conditions has no ground, and can not be justified or unless he was referring to the chopper before its renovation. As according to our ethics and traditions, you always offer best of what you have to your guests, but not obsolete or distrustful items, and never permit your guests to leave under scary conditions! But no body knows this might be God’s work and plan to call him like Moses was called, because his mission is accomplished.

I believe Andrew Mwenda was correct when he said that “Garang’s security was put in danger in the first place by putting him on a junk helicopter, flying night and passing through Imatong Hills”. That was the bottom line of the issue, but not that pilots didn’t study well the route and was applying visual flying rules instead of using onboard instruments, while it was dark and the weather was bad and cloudy! This is completely absurd, and it is merely distortion of public opinion or duping around with minds of people. There was no logic that an experienced and Museveni’s personal pilot Peter Nyakairu will risk his life as well as his crew member and VIP’s guest by not applying onboard instruments, while he knew that they were flying at night and in bad weather conditions or unless there was fishy and unseen hands behind the whole issue which resulted in this fatal disaster. Hypothetically, if pilots applied visual flying rules, this could be due to the mechanical problems with the aircraft or instruments failure which they were battling to overcome, and it is incredible that the pilots became inexperienced and unaware of their route, and could not cope with the situation only at this flight, while they have been flying same aircraft for eight years before its recent overhaul! It is not known as whether investigation team have made this point apparent in their findings, and what circumstances made pilots to apply visual rules instead of instruments onboard? And why the navigation aids, such as radio altimeter and warning voice system only read vertically to the ground, according to the report because the chopper was incapable of sensing the vertical mountain ahead! And this is a clear indication that there was a problem with the plane and the upgraded instruments. And that was obvious, as why the other navigational aids such as artificial horizontal gauge failed to read horizontal, while the engine temperature gauge showed that the aircraft maintained same level of cruising altitude and the engine was normal! These are the various elements which the people wanted to know about this mysterious calamity. But all in all and according to the report, there were no external factors at play when the chopper crash, this attests undoubtedly that it was a superseded aircraft. As since its renovation, it had flown only for 20 hours and it was not tested enough for long journey and in various circumstances to guarantee its merit, but was its first fly during night and in gravely weather conditions for such a long journey to New Site, which would be considered as chopper’s testing trip!

The two hundred forty page report is not yet public to everyone, but yet it raises concern of the public, as the probe team was formed to turn every stone and have full cooperation of all sides to put facts together for public’s knowledge. We know it was not an easy task for the probe team to scrutinize and finalize the report, due to the difficulties and obstacles they have been through. And that was obvious when Denis Jones accused Uganda of subversion and obstructionism in refusal to hand over all the official press release, questions related to the number of instruments on the chopper, reexamine parts of the wreckage, the number and names of Ugandans and Russians who were involved with aircraft maintenance. And it seems, there was no cooperation and transparency on the maintenance contract, and it was not certain as whether the probe team actually, examined closely and critically maintenance quality of both Russians and Ugandan engineers, to assert as whether the Ugandan engineers inspected the maintenance work done by Russians for the quality assurance, and do they have capacity to verify what Russians had done? These are the issues which public wanted to know, and the Ugandan government should have displayed its full cooperation and support to the investigation team, by providing all documentation related to chopper or unless there was trepidation from Ugandan side for one reason or another. It is very unfortunate that the probe team was not international independent body, to work freely and file its reports independently without any intimidation and intervention from Sudanese and Ugandan governments. And the dispute which emerged between Sudan and Uganda at the final wording of the report was a clear indication that the probe team, never worked independently, but there was interference in probe’s work for alteration and clearance of each side’s image. And that was apparent when Saraj Eddine Hamid accused Uganda “of hindering the investigation committee’s work by not cooperating and disappearance of some vital instruments from the wreckage, which suggested that there was party working behind the scene to deflect finger pointing or accusation on them”!

In consideration of the atmospheric weather conditions at the Garang’s flight time, one wonders, as how Garang’s flight was given green light to fly at night? And why Garang decided to leave at poor weather conditions, and what was the circumstances and reasons behind taking such critical decision or unless he might be under grave stress to leave at such situation! And that was evidential in his scary requests to pilot Nyakairu “shall we land safely”, and this was in deliberation to the bad terrain, increasingly poor weather and limited visibility, that they “could turn back and fly to Gulu or Soroti”! Here, we can deduce that, Garang has obviously sensed that they were in danger and trying to see as whether there was possibility to avert it, but it was all in vain! These are the situation which needed to be scrutinized and excavated to reach to the bottom line of this mysterious tragic, but unfortunately there was no clue and the flight data recorder (FDR) was blank! In this contest, everyone is trying to figure out as what exactly went wrong, was it due to the weather conditions or human error or mechanical problems with the plane or instruments failure, not with the idea of reprisal or pointing finger of accusation to anyone or causing sedition, but just for the course of the truth. As the people need to know the truth and satisfactory answers to the questions floating around into their minds. Thus, from the available information, it was clear that the aircraft experienced navigational problems and instruments failure, as even communication within the helicopter itself was poor. The hot water system was not functioning, when a steward complained the crew said it had been switched off, and that was very answer to Garang when he asked why he was cut off! It was also certain that the crew knew that they were facing problems, but they do not want to bother their VIP guest. The vital Advanced Moving Maps System was not functioning, and according to the experts, in an ideal situation, when the altimeter is not working, the Advanced Moving Maps System should takeover, as this system captures the terrain as far as hundred kilometers away. Thus, had the Advanced Moving Maps System to be in good working order, the pilot should have been able to see the cliffs before hitting, and that is why experts believe that the aircraft could have been flying blindly at night without the aid of altimeter before it crashed! That was the end of the most visionary and incisive revolutionary thinker and undying martyr, but his vision will continue to inspire many peace loving people around the globe.

* Watts Roba Gibia Nyirigwa is a Sudan Tribune columnist, he can be reached at [email protected]