Congo inquiry: Trans Air DC-8 was returning for emergency landing before Kinshasa runway excursion

A Douglas DC-8 freighter that ran off the runway at Kinshasa had been returning to land shortly after departing, the Congolese investigation authority BPEA said.

The Trans Air Cargo Service aircraft left the Democratic Republic of the Congo capital on 8 September for Kisangani, roughly 1,200km to the northeast. According to BPEA, the captain chose to return to the departure airport and made an emergency landing after the aircraft had been attempting to take off. Fire and rescue crews attended.

BPEA met the crew on 14 September for a technical meeting, which it said gave a clearer picture of the accident. The jet, registered 9S-AJO and 56 years old, touched down about 200m past the threshold of runway 24, on a runway around 4,000m long. It went off the left side while moving toward the opposite threshold of runway 06, stopping roughly 100m from the runway edge.

The four-engined aircraft was seen resting on rough ground with its nose touching the surface. BPEA has not said whether the nose gear collapsed or stayed retracted.

The inquiry has not yet established the full circumstances of the occurrence.