What happened
In the early hours of the morning, the captain of an Air Botswana flight boarded a stationary ATR42 and departed the airfield without receiving necessary clearance. During the flight, the pilot entered a holding pattern over Gabor-Seretse Khama Airport. While circling the area, the pilot established communication with air traffic control, expressing a desire to speak with various individuals, including the president of the airline, who was unavailable at the time.
Following a two-hour period of negotiations between the pilot and local aviation authorities, the pilot intentionally directed the aircraft toward the airport apron. The aircraft struck the ground at approximately 200 knots, resulting in a massive explosion. The impact destroyed the aircraft and two other stationary planes belonging to the same operator, specifically registrations A2-ABC and A2-AJD.
Findings
There were one fatality recorded, involving the pilot. Due to the timely evacuation of the airport grounds, no injuries or deaths were reported among personnel on the tarmac. The primary factor in the destruction of the aircraft was the intentional high-speed impact into the parked fleet.