What happened
A scheduled flight traveling from Léopoldville toward Boma, with a planned stop in Luozi, experienced a runway excursion during its arrival. The aircraft, a twin engine airplane, was carrying one pilot and six passengers, including one child. During the landing sequence, the aircraft touched down 560 meters beyond the concrete runway threshold.
Following the touchdown, the plane underwent several bounces and began drifting toward the right side of the runway. As the aircraft moved toward the edge, the right wing made contact with tall grass. The right wheel subsequently dropped into a depression caused by rainwater erosion located between the runway surface and the edge of the threshold. This impact against the concrete curbing intensified the rightward drift, forcing the plane off the paved surface and into the grassy area.
Approximately 30 meters into the excursion, the left main landing gear struck a hole, leading to a structural collapse of the gear. The resulting impact caused the aircraft to catch fire, which ultimately led to the total destruction of the airframe. Despite the intensity of the flames, all seven occupants managed to evacuate the wreckage. The pilot and one passenger sustained slight injuries during the event.
Findings
The investigation identified several critical errors regarding the landing execution. The pilot failed to utilize the available 1,172-meter runway effectively, instead touching down significantly past the threshold. This was compounded by poor piloting technique and a failure to correct the aircraft's lateral deviation or initiate a go-around once the unstable landing conditions were recognized.