What happened
On October 24, 2021, a Shorts 360 aircraft, registration 9S-GAP, operated by Malu Aviation of the Democratic Republic of Congo, performed an unintended landing at Peter Zuze Military Airport in Ndola, Zambia. The flight had departed Goma Airport, DRC, with a planned route via Ndola to Lanseria, South Africa, for scheduled maintenance.
While operating under Visual Flight Rules (VFR), the crew established contact with Ndola Approach and was subsequently handed over to Ndola Tower at Simon Mwansa Kapwely International Airport (SMKIA). Although the tower cleared the aircraft for landing on Runway 09, controllers noted they could not visually identify the aircraft on final approach. Shortly thereafter, Approach controllers notified the Tower that the aircraft had actually landed at the nearby Peter Zuze Military Airport, located approximately 8 nautical miles southeast of the intended destination. There were no injuries and no damage to the aircraft.
The investigation
The AAIB investigation examined the flight planning, air traffic management procedures, and the coordination between various aviation authorities. The team reviewed radio transcripts and interviewed personnel from the crew, the Zambia Air Force (ZAF), and the Zambia Airports Corporation Limited (ZACL).
Investigators found that while the aircraft was cleared for SMKIA, the flight plan contained an incorrect waypoint referencing the now-decommissioned Ndola Airport (FLND) instead of the active SMKIA (FLSK). Furthermore, the investigation identified significant gaps in aeronautical information services, noting that the crew had not been notified via NOTAM regarding the change in airport operational status. The team also observed several systemic issues, including a lack of updated arrival/departure procedures for SMKIA and an absence of a formal Memorandum of Understanding between the military and civil airport authorities.