What happened
Shortly after departing from Pointe-Noire Airport, an aircraft was traveling approximately 80 km from the airfield when the crew identified a fire within the cargo area. Following the discovery of the fire, the crew notified Air Traffic Control and declared an emergency situation.
In an attempt to manage the situation, the crew performed an emergency return to the airport. While the aircraft successfully completed its landing on the main runway, it came to a halt and subsequently caught fire. Although the fire destroyed the aircraft, all six occupants managed to evacuate the plane and were reported to have escaped uninjured.
Findings
- A fire originated in the cargo compartment during the initial climb/en route phase of flight.
- The aircraft was lost to fire following the landing sequence.