Accident Overview
A cargo aircraft departed Kinshasa on a flight to Lisala, carrying one passenger, four crew members, and a load of medical supplies against Malaria. While on approach to Lisala Airfield, the weather conditions were poor, with strong winds and heavy rain. The airplane touched down at a speed of 118 knots, approximately 433 meters past the threshold of runway 05, which has a length of 2,200 meters. After touchdown, the crew initiated the braking procedure, but the airplane was unable to stop within the remaining distance. It overran the runway, lost its nose gear, and came to a stop in a field 172 meters past the runway end. All five occupants evacuated safely. The airplane was damaged beyond repair.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined that the probable cause was a sudden change of weather characteristics with nimbostratus clouds while the airplane was about 34.5 nautical miles from the destination airport. This sudden change in weather components caused an excessive long rollout distance of the airplane on the runway.
Findings
The investigation identified the following findings:
- The operator (Air Kasai) did not provide the necessary documentation because their air operator's certificate and their insurance policy had been suspended.
- The aircraft's airworthiness certificate ending 23DEC2023 was forged, thus the aircraft was not airworthy.
- The 300 hour maintenance had been performed on the aircraft.
- The flight crew certificates were valid and their type ratings were up to date.
- The aircraft had not been maintained according to the manufacturer's maintenance program.
- The aerodrome's meteorological station was inoperative due to lack of qualified personnel.
- The runway was not equipped with navigation aids.
- ATC services were not provided.
- The runway was wet and had numerous potholes.