What happened
A cargo flight traveling from Khartoum to Mwanza, intended to transport 38 tonnes of fish fillet, experienced several technical and operational difficulties during its arrival. Prior to the incident, the crew noted that the radio altimeter's integral light was non-functional, though they continued using the Flight Management System (FMS).
Upon contacting Mwanza tower at 16:58, the crew learned that the airport was experiencing a power outage, with authorities working to activate a standby generator. At the time, navigation aids including the VOR, DME, and NDB were reported as unserviceable. Weather conditions were characterized by calm winds, 8 km visibility, a temperature of 25°C, and a QNH of 1015.
After a 10-minute hold, the airport runway lights were restored via the generator. The first officer, acting as pilot flying, initiated a visual approach to runway 12. During the final approach in full landing configuration, the captain noted altitude discrepancies, first stating the aircraft was too low and subsequently that it was too high. Both the captain and the flight engineer instructed the first officer to execute a go-around.
During the missed approach, the aircraft climbed to 5500 feet. While on the downwind leg, the captain observed a tight turn and took control of the aircraft at 4400 feet to perform a 360-degree right turn. As the aircraft neared alignment with the runway, the first officer regained control. During this period, the aircraft experienced several bounces and a leftward yaw, ultimately resulting in the aircraft coming to a stop in the middle of the lake. There were 0 fatalities reported in the provided text.
Findings
- The aircraft was operating with an unserviceable radio altimeter integral light.
- The destination airport was experiencing a total power failure, affecting runway lighting and navigation aids (VOR, DME, and NDB) during the initial approach phase.