Mali loses Super Tucano light attack and trainer aircraft, crew dead

April 10, 2020April 10, 2020 Kazim Abdul Mali

A Malian Air Force EMB 314 Super Tucano light attack and trainer aircraft has crashed on Tuesday 7 April, killing both pilots on board.

The Super Tucano crashed near the town of Sevare in the Mopti region of Mali near the Inner Niger Delta. The Mali Air Force’s Base Aerienne 102 is located at Sevare Airport.

According to Malian officials, the aircraft pilots lost control of the aircraft while trying to land at the Sevare Airport. An investigation is underway to determine the causes of the accident.

Brigadier General Souleymane Doucouré, Malian CEMAA explained that “the aircraft was going to land then pilot loss control, the causes of which are still unknown. He had just returned from a “reconnaissance mission” in the Timbuktu sector.“

Mali’s Super Tucano has been used intensively in the country’s long counter-terror operation. Mali signed a contract with Embraer for six aircraft at the Paris Air Show on 15 June 2015. Embraer said the contract includes logistic support for the operation of these aircraft and also provides a training system for pilots and mechanics of the Mali Air Force. Ten pilots and 17 technicians were trained on the new Super Tucanos. However, the last two were cancelled due to lack of funds

The four Super Tucano were delivered in July 2018, prior to their delivery, the four Malian Super Tucano (PT-ZTN, PT-ZTI, PT-ZTJ and PT-ZTF) were first seen in Recife on 7 July during their delivery flight from Brazil. They stopped there overnight before heading on to Mali, where they arrived on 10 July.

Malian Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano are configured for light attack and close air support while the remaining two will be fitted with surveillance systems and used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, including border patrol. The first two aircraft were first seen undergoing test flights in November and December 2016 at Bacacheri Airport in south-eastern Brazil.