Fly 540 Africa

Air traffic in Goma was brought to a halt yesterday when an Antonov 26B, suffering the loss of engine power after take off, returned to the airport but overshot the runway and ended up in a section covered with volcanic rock.

As a result did the aircraft sustain major damage to landing gear, engine, hull and wing.

Reportedly was none of the crew injured during the landing incident.

Registered as 9S-AFL and operated by Congo’s Services Air was the aircraft enroute from Goma to Kisangani when the crew opted to return to Goma after reporting the loss of engine power.

According to information received did the plane however touch down too far down the runway, causing it to run into the volcanic rock which covers part of the runway and airport from a past eruption.

The aircraft, MSN 14003, has been 32 years in service with the first flight undertaken in 1985.

Services Air is on the EU black list of airlines banned for flights into or across European airspace and suffered previous incidents in December 2015, May 2009 and January 2005, two of them also with Antonov’s 26 and one with an Airbus A310F. The A310F accident in Mbuji Mayi caused multiple casualties on the ground while in the case of the two Antonov 26 accidents near Isiro and Entebbe respectively casualties included the crew.