The Kenyan pilot, who died when the aircraft he was flying was shot down by the Sudan Army at the Nyala airport, Darfur, was a risk-taker once detained by South Sudan for violating aviation rules.
Captain Michael George Oluoch Nyamodi and several other people were killed when the cargo plane he was flying was hit by artillery as he prepared to land at the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) controlled airport in volatile Sudan.
Nyala is the capital of South Darfur, whose airport is used by the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF), fighting the Sudan National Army.
Sources say that the aircraft was shot down by the Sudanese military on suspicion that it was ferrying weapons to the Rapid Support Group (RSF), a paramilitary militia fighting for control of the country.
Another pilot reported killed in the same attack is South Sudan national Samson Ohide, and Secretary General of the South Sudan Pilots Association.
An unknown number of other foreign nationals died in the attack that was launched after the aircraft made several logistical landings on Sunday, May 3, 2025.
Nyamodi, a fixed-wing aircraft pilot who had in 2010 coveted helicopter flying, died after the Sudan Army shot down the aircraft suspected of flying weapons to Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo aka Hemedti, led RSF.
The aircraft registration number 5Y-CKD is a Boeing 737-290C operated by IBM Airlines Limited, a company solely associated with a businessman of Somalia origin with interests in real estate, hospitality, commodity trading, among others.
His body has since been moved to Chad, awaiting repatriation back to Kenya, where his family has already started funeral arrangements with prayer meetings at All Saints Cathedral last Wednesday and Friday.
An aviation source familiar with the incident revealed that the aircraft had issues with Kenya authorities.
“He was flying a Kenyan-registered plane 5Y CKD. This aircraft had issues with Kenyan authorities, so it was not allowed to fly here. KCAA grounded them. This guy we trained around 2010 when he wanted to fly helicopters, but by then he was a fixed-wing pilot. He, one time, operated from Malaysia,” revealed the source, referring to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, a Kenyan state corporation that is responsible for regulating the aviation industry in Kenya.
In April, the Sudanese government directly accused the Kenyan President William Ruto of aiding and abetting unrest in Sudan by allegedly supporting the RSF, a powerful paramilitary group blamed for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
A letter dated March 14, 2025, and authored by Commander Malik Agar, the vice President of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council, had been received by the parliament.
The aircraft, which is the only plane operated by IBM Airlines, was in December 2024 spotted near Bosaso, Puntland, and later on the military side of N’Djamena airport in Chad, where it has continued to operate from destinations in the Sahel region.
The 44-year-old aircraft, although registered in Kenya, had been banned from operating in Kenya by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) for unknown reasons.
In December 2024, the aircraft, which was the only plane being operated by Hala Airlines, was temporarily detained by the South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority and its crew, who included the late Captain Michael George Oluoch Nyamodi and another Kenyan, were arrested briefly before being released.
They were arrested in Wau for painting and concealing the aircraft’s registration so as not to be visible.
The aircraft was being operated by Hala Airlines and had been granted a 72-hour landing permission by the South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority vide Landing permit code CAA01/20179675/10/12/2024 dated 30th December 2024 to ferry cargo.
According to online aircraft monitoring site planespotters, the aircraft has a JT8D-17 (HK3) engine with a maximum take-off weight of 44225 kilograms and a maximum fuel capacity of 17865 litres (14292 kg) was delivered to IBM Airlines on 14th March 2024 and was the only aircraft operated by IBM Airlines.
It was previously operated by another Kenyan company founded in 2011, identified as Transafrican Air Limited, which acquired aircraft on December 1, 2021.
Trans Air Congo (TAS) had operated the aircraft under registration number TN AJP since it acquired it on 1st October 2017 from American company Commercial Jet Partners, registered as N791M, which is the same registration it had operated on since November 1, 2014 under Jet Midwest Airlines.
The same aircraft registered as HK-4702 was acquired by CV Cargo on 30th June 2010 from Ecuadorian company Icaro Air, which bought it from the first American owners, Alaska Airlines, who had it on 24th May 1981, since its manufacture.
Jetphotos cites IBM Airlines Limited as “IBM Airlines is Kenya's newest airline operator and has this 737-200 in their fleet with their livery. The airframe was previously with Transafrican Cargo. Not much is known about this company at this time. First shot to the DB.
IBM Airlines, which is the registered operator of the ill-fated flight, could not be reached for comment.
