What happened
On a mission transporting food supplies for the United Nations, an aircraft traveling from Luanda to Huambo encountered difficulties during its final approach. The flight was carrying a total of six crew members and three passengers, alongside a cargo of 13,579 kilograms of food. As the flight crew performed the final turn to align with the approach path for Huambo-Albano Machado Airport, the pilot-in-command identified that the plane was at an insufficient altitude.
Rather than performing a go-around to reset the approach, the pilot continued the descent toward the runway. The aircraft touched down too far down the 2,660-meter runway, leaving insufficient pavement to bring the plane to a halt. Consequently, the aircraft overran the end of the runway and traveled an additional 260 meters before coming to a stop. There were zero fatalities during the incident, and all nine people on board evacuated the plane without injury. However, the aircraft sustained substantial damage and was declared a total loss.
Findings
- The pilot-in-command failed to execute a go-around maneuver after realizing the aircraft was too low during the final turn.
- The landing position on the runway was too far down the strip to allow for a safe stopping distance.