Congo investigators examine 737-300 freighter landing gear failure at Kindu

Investigators in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are examining an accident at Kindu airport in which the main landing gear of a Boeing 737-300 freighter collapsed. The aircraft was operated by Serve Air Cargo, a Kinshasa-based carrier.

The investigation authority BPEA identified the airframe as 9S-AAI, a 27-year-old twinjet. It previously flew in passenger service for operators including EasyJet and Hainan Airlines.

The accident occurred on 17 September. BPEA has not yet confirmed the circumstances, including the phase of flight in which the failure happened.

Footage shared on social media appears to show the right main landing gear folding backward, leaving the starboard CFM56 engine touching the ground. The same images indicate damage to tyres on the left gear, according to those posts.

BPEA said it is continuing to coordinate with the relevant authorities. It advised Kindu airport management to move the aircraft off the runway so normal traffic could resume, while taking all necessary precautions to keep evidence intact for the inquiry.

Kindu lies in the eastern part of the country and has one runway, marked 18/36.

The same authority is already examining a separate cargo aircraft accident that happened a little more than a week earlier, on 8 September, when a Douglas DC-8 ran off the runway while landing at Kinshasa.