The tragic accident of the Ilyushin II-76 at Gao airport on September 23, 2023 raised serious questions about the circumstances and consequences of this tragedy. Thanks to information collected online, the story of this accident is gradually beginning to take shape, revealing disturbing elements and persistent gray areas.
From the start, photographs and videos circulated on social networks, allowing us to get an idea of the crash scene. Satellite images show wreckage in flames, emitting thick black smoke. Despite the damage, the rear part of the aircraft, the tail, appears intact. It was quickly confirmed that it was indeed an Ilyushin II-76.
The first information indicates that the plane may have left the runway. A spokesperson for the German army, still present in Gao as part of the United Nations Mission in Mali, declared that the plane had probably overshot the landing strip. However, he clarified that it is not a German army aircraft, but an Ilyushin II-76 model used not only by the Russians, but also by Malian forces and other countries.
Confusion also reigns regarding the airline involved in the accident. While another Ilyushin II-76 from Silkway Airlines is present in Gao, the planes of this company are recognizable by their blue decoration, while the one that crashed is white. The Malian authorities remain silent and no official information on the nationality and number of victims is communicated.
Faced with the opacity of the authorities, social networks are becoming a place for discussion and research to try to understand events. Internet users are wondering how such a major accident can be covered up and are wondering about the identity of the people on board the burning plane. The All Eyes On Wagner collective even mentions a death toll of 140, but this information remains difficult to verify.
The search for the Ilyushin II-76 then becomes a priority. A clear photo of the aircraft displaying the Malian cockade is published online. This image makes it possible to identify the plane which, until now, was not listed in the inventory of the Malian Air Force. She was found on a German forum before mysteriously disappearing. An account called “GameMix” posted the intriguing comment: “I was there today. We were at stopping point A, it wasn’t a Silk machine, TZ98 may have been confirmed for the moment.” These clandestine testimonies reveal the presence of witnesses at the scene of the accident and suggest piloting errors as a possible cause of the accident.
Despite these advances, many questions remain unanswered. The Malian authorities gave no official explanation, the bodies were not found and access to the wreckage of the plane was impossible. The truth about this accident still seems distant.
This accident of the Ilyushin II-76 at Gao airport raises many questions and underlines the importance of information collected online to reconstruct the facts. Social networks then become a space for sharing and research to try to understand the circumstances of this tragic accident. Mystery still hovers around this tragedy which cost many lives and it is essential to continue to closely follow the developments in this case.