Incident Overview
An aircraft on a delivery flight from Brazzaville to Douala encountered technical problems while cruising at night over Gabon. The crew informed air traffic control of the issues, declared an emergency, and decided to divert to the nearest airport, Ndjolé. This airfield lacked runway lights, approach lighting, and navigation aids.
Emergency and Diversion
The crew performed several circuits over the city before people on the ground parked their cars along the airstrip to help illuminate the landing area. Despite this improvised lighting, the crew made four unsuccessful landing attempts.
Landing Attempts and Crash
During the fifth attempt, the aircraft flew over the runway without touching down, passed over the Ogooué River, and eventually crashed in a wooded and swampy area. The aircraft was destroyed.
Recovery and Casualties
The following day, two helicopters from the Gabonese Air Force located the wreckage. All seven occupants of the aircraft were killed.
Background
Until a few days before the accident, the aircraft had been operated by Pont Aviation, which had gone bankrupt. It was subsequently transferred to another operator in Cameroon.