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This article needs to be updated. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (April 2021)
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5Y-AXO, the aircraft involved in 2014.
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| Airliner shootdown | |
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| Date | 4 May 2020 (2020-05-04) |
| Summary | Allegedly shot down by Ethiopian National Defense Force |
| Site | Berdale, Somalia |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia |
| Operator | African Express Airways |
| Registration | 5Y-AXO |
| Flight origin | Baidoa Airport, Baidoa, Somalia |
| Destination | Berdale Airfield, Berdale, Somalia |
| Occupants | 6 |
| Passengers | 4 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Fatalities | 6 |
| Survivors | 0 |
The 2020 African Express Airways Brasilia crash was an aviation accident involving an African Express Airways Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia that was on approach to Berdale on a chartered cargo flight from Baidoa Airport, Somalia on 4 May 2020 when it was allegedly shot down by ground troops of the Ethiopian National Defense Force.[1] All 6 occupants, four non-revenue passengers and two crew, were killed.[2] The plane was carrying medical supplies to assist with the COVID-19 pandemic in Somalia, as well as mosquito nets.[3][4]
According to a one-page African Union peacekeeping force incident report that was leaked on Twitter on 10 May, Ethiopian troops not affiliated with the peacekeeping mission fired on the aircraft because it made a non-standard approach from the west instead of the east, and it exhibited an irregular flight path, leading the troops to conclude that it may be engaged in a suicide attack; the report cited a "lack of communication and awareness" by the Ethiopian troops. However, officials emphasized that the report contains readily apparent contradictions and factual errors, and Smaïl Chergui, the African Union Peace and Security Commissioner, said that the peacekeeping force lacks the expertise to conclusively determine the cause of the crash; a joint accident investigation by officials from Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya is underway, with preliminary findings expected in 45 days.[needs update] In addition to investigating the crash itself, Somali leaders questioned why Ethiopian troops outside the authority of the peacekeeping force were conducting armed operations in Somalia; there has been a history of controversial unauthorized incursions into Somalia by Ethiopian and Kenyan troops pursuing Al-Shabaab militants.[3]
Officials in the region who read the report cautioned against jumping to conclusions before the full investigation is completed, and pointed to clear factual errors in the leaked incident report as well as some contradictions.
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Aviation accidents and incidents in Somalia
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Aviation accidents and incidents in 2020 (2020)
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Jan 2 Jan 8 Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 Jan 14 Jan 23 Coulson Aviation Lockheed C-130 crash Jan 26 Jan 27 Jan 27 United States Air Force E-11A crash Feb 5 May 4 African Express Airways Brasilia crash May 17 May 22 Pakistan International Airlines Flight 8303 Jul 31 Aug 7 Aug 22 South West Aviation Antonov An-26 crash Sep 25 Nov 13 Volga-Dnepr Airlines Flight 4066 | |
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