Piper PA-30 accident near Port Sudan, Sd, May 10, 2009
On May 10, 2009 at about 5:30 am local time, a Piper PA-30, registered N502TC, was destroyed in an accident during enroute near Port Sudan. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under non-U.S. private rules. 2 people were killed.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 10, 2009 · about 5:30 am local time
- Place
- Port Sudan, Sudan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-30 · all PA-30s on the register
- Registration
- N502TC · registry record · serial 30-881
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · non-U.S. private rules
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On May 10, 2009, at 0530 universal coordinated time (0830 local time), a Piper PA-30, N502TC, was destroyed when it impacted mountainous terrain about 26 nautical miles northwest of Port Sudan, Sudan. The two Yemani pilots onboard were fatally injured. The airplane was operating on an international flight plan between Luxor International Airport (HELX), Luxor, Egypt, and Port Sudan New International Airport (HSPN), Port Sudan, Sudan, under Sudanese flight regulations. The investigation is under the jurisdiction of the Republic of Sudan. Further information may be obtained from: Civil Aviation Authority Air Accident Investigation Directorate P.O. Box 430 Republic of Sudan Tel: 249 155775152 Fax: 249 155775150 This report is for informational purposes, and only contains information released by the Republic of Sudan.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Unknown or undetermined during enroute defining event
Pilot
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming IO-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming IO-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Departed from: HELX Luxor
- Destination: HSPN Port Sudan
- Flight plan: not recorded
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.