AN26 goes down

Source: Asn accident digest

Status: Preliminary
Date: 04 OCT 2007
Time: ca 10:30
Type: Antonov 26
Operator: Malift Air
Registration: 9Q-COS ?
Crew: Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 5
Passengers: Fatalities: 17 / Occupants: 17
Total: Fatalities: 21 / Occupants: 22
Ground casualties: Fatalities: 28 (uncertain)
Airplane damage: Destroyed
Location: Kinshasa ( Congo (Democratic Republic) )
Phase: Initial climb
Nature: Cargo and Passenger
Departure airport: Kinshasa-N’Djili Airport (FIH/FZAA), Congo (Democratic Republic)
Destination airport: Tshikapa Airport (TSH/FZUK), Congo (Democratic Republic)
Narrative:
The Antonov 26 was reportedly owned by El Sam Airlift, and chartered by Malift Air. It operated on a mixed passenger/cargo service from Kinshasa-N’Djili (FIH) to Tshikapa (TSH) and Kananga Airport (KGA) and took off from N’Djili at 10:40. Shortly after takeoff the nr.2 engine failed. Some reports say propeller blade(s) separated from the engine. The airplane lost height, contacted trees and crashed onto Mayulu Avenue in the Kingasani neighbourhood, striking three houses. A fire broke out. One Congolese crew member is said to have survived the accident. At least 28 fatalities have been reported on the ground.
There have been many conflicting reports regarding the number of passengers. A spokesman for Congo’s humanitarian affairs ministry reported that 22 occupants were on the plane, but a figure of 19 has also been mentioned in press reports.
The Russian Foreign Ministry reported that three crew members were Russian.
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s transport minister, Remy Henry Kuseyo, was sacked after the accident “due to his inability to reform the aviation sector”.
Sources:
» Accident d’avion en RDC : aucun survivant, des maisons touchées (Digitalcongo, 4-10-2007)
» Congo crash toll over 50 but survivor found (Reuters, 5-10-2007)
» Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
» Crash d’un Antonov 26 à Kinshasa (Le Potentiel, 5-10-2007)
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AIRCRAFT PROFILE ANTONOV 26
* Last fatal hull-loss accident: 23 JUL 2007 Djibouti Airlines, near Shinile, Ethiopia- 1 fatality
* Total number of hull-losses: 100 (77 accidents, 21 other occurrences (destroyed on the ground, shot down), 2 unknown occurrences), of which 61 losses were fatal
* Third worst accident (including ground fatalities)
* Survival rate for all fatal An-26 accidents: on average 21,6% of all occupants survived fatal accidents
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AIRPORT PROFILE KINSHASA-N’DJILI
* ICAO/IATA designators: FIH / FZAA
* Latitude: 04° 23′ 08.70″ S / 015° 26′ 40.45″ E
* Elevation: 1027 ft/ 313 m
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OPERATOR PROFILE MALIFT AIR
Local Congolese airline operating passenger and cargo services out of Kinshasa-N’Djili since 1995. The airline operates: BN-2 Islander, An-24, An-28 and An-32 planes.
On July 18 the An-24 was substantially damaged in a crash-landing near Bandundu.
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COUNTRY PROFILE D.R. CONGO
* Last fatal airliner hull-loss accident: 24 SEP 2007 Let 410 9Q-CVL of Free Airlines, at Malemba Nkulu- 1 fatality
* Second worst accident in D.R. Congo
* The country is rated Cat. 2 (not meeting ICAO standards) in FAA’s International Aviation Safety Assessment Program (IASA)
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