In the May AeroSafety World, we reported on International Air Transport Association (IATA) statistics showing an improved safety picture in Africa. The rate of Western-built hull losses in Africa fell to 3.27 per million flights in 2011 from 7.41 per million in 2010, and the number of accidents for all aircraft types declined from 18 in 2010 to eight last year. Still too many, but a positive move nonetheless. “Good News About Africa,” said the headline.
Fast forward just a few weeks, and last year’s “good news” was pushed aside by two tragedies that occurred in rapid succession. On June 2, a Boeing 727-200 freighter operated by Allied Air ran off the end of the runway after landing at Accra-Kotoka International Airport in Ghana and slammed into a minivan. Twelve people on the ground were killed, including 10 in the minivan, which was being used as a taxi.
One day later, a Dana Air McDonnel…
