What happened
A charter flight originated from Nairobi-Wilson Airport, destined for El Wak, with a total of 41 people on board, including 37 passengers and 4 crew members. During the descent toward El Wak Airport, the pilot altered the flight path to the east. The crew chose to land at an alternative airfield situated approximately 18 km east of El Wak, in the vicinity of Bur Ache, Somalia.
Upon touchdown at the secondary location, the aircraft veered toward the left side of the runway. The movement caused the plane to strike a mound of rocks and earth, which resulted in the collapse of the left main landing gear. Despite the impact and the subsequent damage to the airframe, there were zero fatalities and zero injuries reported among the 41 occupants, all of whom evacuated the scene safely. The aircraft was subsequently determined to be a total loss due to the extent of the damage.
Findings
The accident occurred because the pilot elected to land at an unplanned airfield east of the original destination, leading to a ground excursion into an obstacle.