1996 Air Africa crash
Encyclopedia
The 1996 Air Africa crash occurred on 8 January 1996 when an overloaded Air Africa Antonov
An-32B aircraft, wet lease
d from Moscow Airways and bound for Kahemba Airport
, overshot the runway at N'Dolo Airport
in Kinshasa
, Democratic Republic of Congo after failing to take off. The aircraft ploughed into Kinshasa's Simbazikita street market, causing an estimated 300 fatalities (including two on board the aircraft) and 253 serious injuries. As of 2007, this remains the largest number of non-passenger ground fatalities caused by the accidental crash of an aircraft.
According to the Russian Air Transport Department, the aircraft was operating out of license.
It has been reported that this flight was carrying weapons to UNITA
:
's short runway, the An-32B did not achieve sufficient speed to bring its nose up, yet began to lift. It crashed through the open-air Simbazikita produce market, full of shacks, pedestrians, and cars. The fuel load ignited. The number of casualties cited varies from 225 (per the manslaughters charged) to 348.
), which was quickly overwhelmed. Two other hospitals took the additional victims.
Mobutu and Saolona both attended the funeral on January 10, 1996 at the Protestant Cathedral du Centennaire.
The Russian pilots, Nicolai Kazarin and Andrei Gouskov were charged and convicted of manslaughter, each receiving the maximum two year sentence. At trial they admitted they were using borrowed clearance papers from Scibe Airlift, that they knew the flight was illegal, and that the flight was actually bound for Angola
. Scibe Airlift and African Air paid fines of US$1.4 million to the families and the injured.
The underlying hazards of overloaded aircraft overflying densely populated areas were not addressed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and on 4 October 2007 a virtual repeat occurred in the 2007 Africa One Antonov An-26 crash
at Ndjili International Airport.
Antonov
Antonov, or Antonov Aeronautical Scientist/Technical Complex , formerly the Antonov Design Bureau, is a Ukrainian aircraft manufacturing and services company with particular expertise in the field of very large aircraft construction. Antonov ASTC is a state-owned commercial company...
An-32B aircraft, wet lease
Wet lease
Aircraft leases are a number of types of leases used by airlines and other aircraft operators. Airlines lease aircraft from other airlines or leasing companies for two main reasons; to operate aircraft without the financial burden of buying them, and to provide temporary increase in capacity...
d from Moscow Airways and bound for Kahemba Airport
Kahemba Airport
Kahemba Airport is located in the south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo near the border with Angola.Kahemba is registered ECCAIRS code 223075-Incidents:...
, overshot the runway at N'Dolo Airport
N'Dolo Airport
N'Dolo Airport , also known as Ndolo Airport, is a secondary airport in the city of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, located in the commune of Barumbu near the city center....
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 Congo after failing to take off. The aircraft ploughed into Kinshasa's Simbazikita street market, causing an estimated 300 fatalities (including two on board the aircraft) and 253 serious injuries. As of 2007, this remains the largest number of non-passenger ground fatalities caused by the accidental crash of an aircraft.
According to the Russian Air Transport Department, the aircraft was operating out of license.
Background
After decades of conflicts in sub-saharan Africa, the air transport business is complex and often illegal. Johan Peleman explains:
The relationship between the charterers, who operate the plane, the shipping agent who organises the delivery for his clients and the company that actually owns the plane, is often very complex. This makes it difficult to see which of the contracting parties is actually responsible for the illegal aspects of the transactions. The Antonov that crashed in Kinshasa in January 1996 was operated by African Air. The company had rented the plane and crew from Scibe CMMJScibe AirliftScibe Airlift is an airline based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo . It operates from N'Djili Airport, Kinshasa.The airline was on the List of air carriers banned in the European Union, as were all airlines regulated by the authorities in the DRC.The airline started activities with a single...
, the company of Bemba SaolonaJeannot Bemba SaolonaJeannot Bemba Saolona was a Congolese businessman, Minister of the Economy and Industry, and Senator for Équateur...
. Scibe’s BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
based sales agent had leased the plane to the company in ZaïreZaireThe Republic of Zaire was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between 27 October 1971 and 17 May 1997. The name of Zaire derives from the , itself an adaptation of the Kongo word nzere or nzadi, or "the river that swallows all rivers".-Self-proclaimed Father of the Nation:In...
. The Belgian company in turn had contracted with Moscow Airways.
It has been reported that this flight was carrying weapons to UNITA
UNITA
The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola is the second-largest political party in Angola. Founded in 1966, UNITA fought with the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola in the Angolan War for Independence and then against the MPLA in the ensuing civil war .The war was one...
:
Scibe Airlift, an airline owned by Bemba Saolona and (at least in 1985) Mobutu himself (Forbes, 18 November 1985), was also found to be transporting arms to UNITA when, in January 1996, an Antonov 32 crashed on take-off from Kinshasa en route to Angola, killing an estimated 370 people (Agence France Presse, January 10, 1996). The aircraft and crew, chartered by African Air from Scibe, had, in turn, been leased from Moscow Airways through Scibe’s sales agent, Scibe CMMJScibe AirliftScibe Airlift is an airline based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo . It operates from N'Djili Airport, Kinshasa.The airline was on the List of air carriers banned in the European Union, as were all airlines regulated by the authorities in the DRC.The airline started activities with a single...
, in OstendOstendOstend is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke , Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the largest on the Belgian coast....
(Washington Post, 21 March 1997).
Crash
While attempting to take off fully fueled and overloaded from N'Dolo AirportN'Dolo Airport
N'Dolo Airport , also known as Ndolo Airport, is a secondary airport in the city of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, located in the commune of Barumbu near the city center....
's short runway, the An-32B did not achieve sufficient speed to bring its nose up, yet began to lift. It crashed through the open-air Simbazikita produce market, full of shacks, pedestrians, and cars. The fuel load ignited. The number of casualties cited varies from 225 (per the manslaughters charged) to 348.
Aftermath
The first injured went to the Mama Yemo Hospital (now Kinshasa General HospitalKinshasa General Hospital
Kinshasa General Hospital is a hospital in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Before the ousting of President Mobutu Sese Seko it was known as Mama Yemo Hospital after the president's mother. The 2000 bed hospital registers over 3,000 consultations daily...
), which was quickly overwhelmed. Two other hospitals took the additional victims.
Mobutu and Saolona both attended the funeral on January 10, 1996 at the Protestant Cathedral du Centennaire.
The Russian pilots, Nicolai Kazarin and Andrei Gouskov were charged and convicted of manslaughter, each receiving the maximum two year sentence. At trial they admitted they were using borrowed clearance papers from Scibe Airlift, that they knew the flight was illegal, and that the flight was actually bound for Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
. Scibe Airlift and African Air paid fines of US$1.4 million to the families and the injured.
The underlying hazards of overloaded aircraft overflying densely populated areas were not addressed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and on 4 October 2007 a virtual repeat occurred in the 2007 Africa One Antonov An-26 crash
2007 Africa One Antonov An-26 crash
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...
at Ndjili International Airport.
Further reading
- J Rupert, Zaïre reportedly selling arms to AngolanAngolaAngola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
ex-rebels, The Washington Post, 21 March 1997. - Chaos am Himmel ueber Afrika Die Zeit, (May 1996)
- Bolenge Ngbanzo "La place Type-K 'new look': un paradis pour les chasseurs d’immondices" l'Avenir, 9 July 2008