What happened
On a scheduled flight from Goma to Beni, a twin-engine aircraft serving the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Monusco) encountered technical difficulties during its approach to Beni-Mavivi Airport. The flight, identified as service UNO830, was carrying a total of 10 occupants, consisting of two pilots and eight passengers.
During the approach phase, the flight crew performed the necessary approach checklists and attempted to configure the aircraft for landing. During this process, the crew discovered that the undercarriage failed to extend. The crew attempted to resolve the issue by resetting a circuit breaker, which allowed them to manually deploy the landing gear. No communication regarding this malfunction was relayed to Air Traffic Control during the remainder of the approach.
Upon touchdown on runway 11, the aircraft traveled approximately 450 metres along the runway before the right main gear collapsed. This structural failure caused the aircraft to lose directional control, veering off the right side of the runway. The aircraft slid through a grassy area and crossed a ditch before coming to a stop in the vicinity of the apron. While all 10 occupants evacuated the aircraft without injury, the aircraft sustained damage that rendered it a total loss.
Findings
- The crew successfully deployed the landing gear manually following a circuit breaker reset.
- The primary factor in the excursion was the collapse of the right main landing gear during the landing roll.