2007 Africa One Antonov An-26 crash
Encyclopedia
The 2007 Africa One Antonov An-26 crash occurred when a twin engine Antonov An-26
, belonging to the Congolese air carrier Africa One
, crashed and burned shortly after takeoff from N'djili Airport in Kinshasa
, Democratic Republic of the Congo
on October 4, 2007. The flight left N'djili at 10:43 local time bound for Tshikapa
, a distance of 650 km to the east.
The flight was a commercial cargo flight carrying at least 28, including a flight crew of five. The flight manifest stated that there were 16 passengers aboard, but more boarded the flight shortly before takeoff.
, then a wing struck an obstacle, shearing the wing off prior to crashing. Striking a market before coming to rest at a residence at 77 Mayulu Av in the Kingasani district of the Kimbanseke
commune, at least 49 people on the ground were killed. The reports of survivors are conflicting: initial reports had all aboard killed, including the Russia
n pilot
, copilot and flight engineer
, yet later Reuters
reported that an on-board mechanic survived, while Associated Press claims a flight attendant also survived, bringing the total number of survivors to two.
The on-board mechanic, M. Dédé Ngamba, was possibly the sole surviving passenger. His description (in French) was,
One source indicates that the lifting of the Transport Minister's ban on Antonov flights over DRC territory was NOT by his order but rather that of the Minister of State to the Head of State.
A formal Parliamentary commission of inquiry was convened 19 October 2007, with Jean-Lucien Bussa as President and Lessendjina as Vice-president. The prosecutor's office of N'Djili is seized of the matter.
Notwithstanding the ban, another Antonov (this one an An-12 registered as ER-AXI) was reported by Radio Okapi to have had a minor motor fire at Bangoka International Airport
at Kisangani
early in the afternoon of 1 November 2007. No injuries and minor damage were reported.
Three months after the crash, Moscow offered US$200,000 in economic aid to the injured parties.
Antonov An-26
The Antonov An-26 is a twin-engined turboprop military transport aircraft, designed and produced in the USSR from 12 March 1968.-Development:...
, belonging to the Congolese air carrier Africa One
Africa One
Africa One was a privately owned pan-African airline. It was initially based in Entebbe, Uganda with aircraft wet leased from Africa One Holdings, registered in Ireland. Africa One Congo was a subsidiary based in Kinshasa...
, crashed and burned shortly after takeoff from N'djili Airport in Kinshasa
Kinshasa
Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....
, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
on October 4, 2007. The flight left N'djili at 10:43 local time bound for Tshikapa
Tshikapa
Tshikapa is a city in Kasaï District in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located about 40 miles north of the Angolan border and 120 miles west of province capital Kananga at the confluence of the Tshikapa and Kasai rivers. According to records published by the Utrecht University...
, a distance of 650 km to the east.
Background
The flight was variously reported as operated by El Sam Airlines or Malila Airlift, with the aircraft leased from Africa One. Both carriers are on the list of air carriers banned in the EU, as are all of other Congolese airlines. The aircraft, tail number 9Q-COS, is reported to have been certified in a letter 409/cab/MIN/TVC/1264/MN/mg/2007 as having passed safety inspection, according to Hippolyte Muaka, who is the acting head of the DRC's Civil Aviation Authority.The flight was a commercial cargo flight carrying at least 28, including a flight crew of five. The flight manifest stated that there were 16 passengers aboard, but more boarded the flight shortly before takeoff.
Crash
The Russian foreign ministry reports that the aircraft lost a propellerPropeller
A propeller is a type of fan that transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. A pressure difference is produced between the forward and rear surfaces of the airfoil-shaped blade, and a fluid is accelerated behind the blade. Propeller dynamics can be modeled by both Bernoulli's...
, then a wing struck an obstacle, shearing the wing off prior to crashing. Striking a market before coming to rest at a residence at 77 Mayulu Av in the Kingasani district of the Kimbanseke
Kimbanseke
Kimbanseke is a municipality in the Tshangu district of Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.It is situated in the southeast of Kinshasa. Settlement in this hilled area is relatively new.- External links :*...
commune, at least 49 people on the ground were killed. The reports of survivors are conflicting: initial reports had all aboard killed, including the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
, copilot and flight engineer
Flight engineer
Flight engineers work in three types of aircraft: fixed-wing , rotary wing , and space flight .As airplanes became even larger requiring more engines and complex systems to operate, the workload on the two pilots became excessive during certain critical parts of the flight regime, notably takeoffs...
, yet later Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
reported that an on-board mechanic survived, while Associated Press claims a flight attendant also survived, bringing the total number of survivors to two.
Mechanic's account
Nous avons décollé après trois minutes de taxi. Aussitôt, j’ai constaté que l’avion s’est mis à tanguer. L’effort du pilote de faire monter l’avion est demeuré vain. C’est alors que l’hôtesse m’a dit de mettre la ceinture de sécurité. En ce moment, l’avion a commencé à voler plus bas et il a percuté un palmier et perdu une aile.This translates loosely to the following:
Ensuite, il a commencé à percuter des maisons. Tous les colis des marchandises qui étaient à bord ont fait mouvement vers l’avant de l’avion. J’ai aperçu à côté de moi un trou par lequel je suis sorti sans savoir comment, et je suis tombé sur une flaque d’eau sablonneuse. J’ai pu alors contempler les flammes de l’avion qui consumait. Il ne s’agissait pas d’un poids exagéré. C’est une simple défaillance mécanique.
We had taken off after taxiing for three minutes. At once, I noted that the plane started to pitch. The effort of the pilot to right the plane remained vain. At this point in time the stewardess told me to put on my seat belt. At that time, the plane started to fly low and it struck a palm tree and lost a wing.
Then it started to strike houses. All the parcels of goods which were on board shifted toward the front of the plane. I noticed beside me a hole by which I left without knowing how, and I fell into a mud puddle. I then could contemplate the flames which consumed the plane. It was not about excess weight. It's a simple mechanical failure.
Aftermath
The DRC has an aviation safety track record that has been dubbed an embarrassment by the IATA and the Transport Minister Rémy Henri Kuseyo Gatanga has been fired by the president for culpable negligence in failing to enforce adequate standards and procedures for aviation safety management.One source indicates that the lifting of the Transport Minister's ban on Antonov flights over DRC territory was NOT by his order but rather that of the Minister of State to the Head of State.
A formal Parliamentary commission of inquiry was convened 19 October 2007, with Jean-Lucien Bussa as President and Lessendjina as Vice-president. The prosecutor's office of N'Djili is seized of the matter.
Notwithstanding the ban, another Antonov (this one an An-12 registered as ER-AXI) was reported by Radio Okapi to have had a minor motor fire at Bangoka International Airport
Bangoka International Airport
Bangoka International Airport is an airport in Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo.From November 2009 until June 2011 Kenya Airways connected Bangoka International Airport to Nairobi three times a week...
at Kisangani
Kisangani
Kisangani is the capital of Orientale Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the 3rd largest urbanized city in the country and the largest of the cities that lie in the tropical woodlands of the Congo....
early in the afternoon of 1 November 2007. No injuries and minor damage were reported.
Three months after the crash, Moscow offered US$200,000 in economic aid to the injured parties.