What happened
A cargo operation traveling from Kinshasa to Kahemba was underway when a critical failure occurred during the takeoff phase. The aircraft, which was transporting food and essential supplies along with four crew members and two passengers, experienced a loss of control during its takeoff roll. As the aircraft reached a speed of 204 km/h, the pilot-in-command attempted to rotate the plane, but the aircraft failed to respond to the control inputs.
In an attempt to rectify the situation, the crew initiated an aborted takeoff procedure. However, the aircraft could not be halted within the 1,700-meter runway limits. The plane overran the end of the runway, traveling approximately 240 meters before coming to a stop in the Simbazikita district. Upon stopping, the aircraft caught fire.
Onboard the aircraft, the incident resulted in one fatality and five injuries among the crew and passengers. The situation escalated significantly on the ground, where the fire and subsequent events led to at least 297 fatalities and 253 injuries, with many of the ground victims sustaining serious wounds.
Findings
The primary factor in the accident was the failure of the aircraft to respond to rotation commands during the takeoff roll, which prevented a successful takeoff and rendered the aborted takeoff attempt unsuccessful due to insufficient runway remaining.