What happened
On July 11, 2001, a BEECH 200, registered as ZS-NWK, was operating an international charter flight from Luanda to Luena, Angola. The aircraft was carrying a crew of two and 10 passengers. During the approach to Runway 29 at Luena Airport, the pilot received information from aircraft back-tracking on Runway 11 regarding significant surface irregularities on the intended runway.
Following updated meteorological information from Air Traffic Control indicating a westerly wind of 10 knots, the pilot elected to divert the landing to Runway 11. As the aircraft maneuvered for the landing, the pilot noted that the runway surface consisted of temporary repairs made with a mixture of clay and asphalt. The pilot intended to touchdown on an asphalt section that extended into a larger area of clay.
Upon touchdown at 100 KIAS with full flaps, a loud impact and jolt were felt by the crew. This was immediately followed by the collapse of both main landing gear struts. The aircraft's lower fuselage made contact with the runway surface, and the aircraft eventually came to a stop approximately 350 meters after the initial impact, roughly 1000 meters from the runway threshold. There were no injuries among the 12 people on board.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the runway conditions at Luena Airport and the pilot's decision-making process regarding the landing configuration. Investigators examined the state of the runway surface, specifically the transition between the asphalt patches and the clay sections. The investigation also reviewed the pilot's approach and the impact of the aircraft's weight and landing technique on the degraded pavement.