What happened
On 22 May 1964, a De Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter, registration 303, was performing an aerial surveillance role for an army convoy evacuating personnel from the Lemera mission station. The aircraft, carrying a pilot, a flight engineer, and four passengers, was flying at approximately 1,200 feet following a road heading south from Bukavu.
While observing a parked vehicle near Luvungi airstrip, the aircraft was struck by gunfire from an automatic weapon. This impact severed an oil line, causing the engine's oil pressure to drop to zero. Due to the nature of the hydromatic propeller, the crew was unable to adjust the RPM or stop the resulting leak. As the pilot attempted an emergency landing on the narrow road, the engine failed completely, leading to heavy vibrations while the aircraft was only 30 feet above the ground.
The De Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter touched down at 70 knots and traveled roughly 150 feet before the starboard wing struck a tree and was torn off. The aircraft subsequently veered off the road, lost its landing gear in a ditch, and suffered an engine separation. Despite the destruction of the airframe, all 6 occupants survived with only minor injuries.
Following the crash, the crew traveled on foot toward the convoy, occasionally hiding from hostile rebel forces encountered along the route. The aircraft was later determined to be a total loss and was not salvaged due to the high level of regional instability.