2019 Busy Bee Congo Dornier 228 crash

Last updated
2019 Busy Bee Congo Dornier 228 crash
Dornier 228-201 5Y-BTU.jpg
The aircraft involved in the accident, with a previous operator
Accident
Date24 November 2019
SummaryCrashed shortly after take off due to engine failure; under investigation
Site Goma International Airport, Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo
1°40′53″S29°14′22″E / 1.68139°S 29.23944°E / -1.68139; 29.23944
Total fatalities26 (20 on airplane, 6 on ground)
Total injuries1 (on ground)
Aircraft
Aircraft type Dornier 228-201
OperatorBusy Bee Congo
Registration 9S-GNH
Flight origin Goma International Airport
Destination Beni Airport
Occupants22
Passengers20
Crew2
Fatalities21
Survivors1
Ground casualties
Ground fatalities6
Ground injuries1

On 24 November 2019, a Dornier 228-201 twin turboprop aircraft operated by local carrier Busy Bee Congo crashed shortly after takeoff from Goma International Airport in a densely populated section of the city, killing 21 of the 22 on board and six on the ground. It is the deadliest accident involving the Dornier 228. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Background

The airline operating the plane, Busy Bee Congo, was founded in 2007 and uses Goma as the base for its fleet of Dornier 228s. [5] Airline safety standards and maintenance practices are notoriously lax in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, especially among local low-price carriers, with all the local carriers banned from operating in the European Union. [6]

Aircraft and crew

The aircraft was a Dornier 228 twin turboprop built in 1984. It had been owned by three previous operators. [1] The aircraft did not carry a cockpit voice recorder or a flight data recorder. [2] While in service with Olympic Aviation (during which its registration was SX-BHC), the aircraft was involved in two previous accidents; on 19 December 1993, while landing at Sitia Public Airport, the aircraft lost one its left landing gear wheels. [7] On 9 January 1994, the aircraft struck power lines on approach to runway 15L at Ellinikon International Airport and its left engine failed, but landed safely with no fatalities. [8]

The unnamed 52-year-old captain had 14,124 flight hours, including 3,048 hours on the Dornier 228. The unnamed 29-year-old first officer had 2,273 flight hours, with 1,635 of them on the Dornier 228. [2] [9] : 9 

Accident

According to reports the aircraft took off from the airport but suffered engine failure and crashed less than a minute after take off from runway 17. [2] Witnesses describe the plane spinning three times as it crashed with thick black smoke coming from the engines. The aircraft violently burst in flames after impact in one of the densely populated areas of the city, the fire preventing locals from helping victims caught in the blaze. [6]

19 people on board were killed on impact. One source reports that two passengers managed to be pulled from the blaze. [5] The BBC reported at the time that nine casualties on the ground all came from one family. [6] There was one survivor from the aircraft, who sustained minor injuries, leaving two pilots and 19 passengers dead. Among the ground casualties were five children with their mother inside an unfinished house. A wooden cabin next to the unfinished house was blown away by backwash from the aircraft. The local residents helped extinguish the fire after the crash until firefighters were able to bring it under control. [2]

Investigation

On 27 November 2019 the Permanent Office of Investigations of Aviation Accidents/Incidents (BPEA), part of the DRC's Ministry of Transport and Channels of Communication opened the investigation. On 10 January 2020 the BPEA released the preliminary report. It stated that after receiving takeoff clearance the aircraft mase the takeoff on runway 17 under CAVOK weather conditions; however the takeoff roll was longer than normal. Immediately after the aircraft was airborne the control tower noticed an unusual wing roll movement. It was noticed that the aircraft climbed out lower than normal. In that moment, quickly the aircraft descended and crashed over an unfinished house in the center of Goma. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellinikon International Airport</span> Airport in Athens, Greece (1938–2001)

Ellinikon International Airport, sometimes spelled Hellinikon, was the international airport of Athens, Greece, for 63 years. Following its closure on 28 March 2001, it was replaced in service by the new Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos. The airport was located 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) south of Athens, and just west of Glyfada. It was named after the village of Elliniko, now a suburb of Athens. The airport had an official capacity of 11 million passengers per year, but served 13.5 million passengers during its last year of operations. A large portion of the site was converted into a stadium and sports facilities for the 2004 Olympic Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonio Maceo Airport</span> Airport in Santiago de Cuba

Antonio Maceo Airport is an international airport located in Santiago, Cuba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport</span> Airport in Florida, United States

Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport is a general aviation airport located within the city limits of Fort Lauderdale, in Broward County, Florida, United States, five miles (8.0 km) north of downtown Fort Lauderdale. It is a division of the Transportation and Mobility Department of the City of Fort Lauderdale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">N'djili Airport</span> Airport in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

N'djili Airport, also known as N'Djili International Airport and Kinshasa International Airport, serves the city of Kinshasa and is the largest of the four international airports in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), It is named after the nearby Ndjili River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beechcraft 1900</span> Commuter airliner and light transport aircraft

The Beechcraft 1900 is a twin-engine turboprop regional airliner manufactured by Beechcraft. It is also used as a freight aircraft and corporate transport, and by several governmental and military organizations. With customers favoring larger regional jets, Raytheon ended production in October 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McDonnell Douglas DC-9</span> Jet airliner, produced 1965-1982

The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is an American five-abreast, single-aisle aircraft designed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It was initially produced as the Douglas DC-9 prior to August 1967, after which point the company had merged with McDonnell Aircraft to become McDonnell Douglas. Following the introduction of its first jetliner, the high capacity DC-8, in 1959, Douglas was interested in producing an aircraft suited to smaller routes. As early as 1958, design studies were conducted; approval for the DC-9, a smaller all-new jetliner, came on April 8, 1963. The DC-9-10 first flew on February 25, 1965, and gained its type certificate on November 23, to enter service with Delta Air Lines on December 8.

Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation, renamed FlyCAA in 2013, is a regional airline from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, based at N'djili Airport in Kinshasa. It offers an extensive network of domestic scheduled passenger flights, as well as cargo flights. Due to safety and security concerns, CAA has been included in the list of air carriers banned in the European Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tenzing-Hillary Airport</span> Airport in Lukla, Nepal

Tenzing-Hillary Airport, also known as Lukla Airport, is a domestic airport and altiport in the town of Lukla, in Khumbu Pasanglhamu, Solukhumbu District, Koshi Province of Nepal. It gained worldwide fame as it was rated the most dangerous airport in the world for more than 20 years by a program titled Most Extreme Airports, broadcast on The History Channel in 2010.

Sita Air is an airline based in Kathmandu, Nepal, operating domestic services within Nepal. The airline was established in 2003. The airline's main base is Tribhuvan International Airport with hubs at Pokhara Airport and Nepalgunj Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gao International Airport</span> Airport in Gao, Mali

Gao International Airport, also known as Korogoussou Airport, is an airport in Gao, Mali. The airport's runway crosses through the prime meridian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goma International Airport</span> Airport in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Goma International Airport is an airport serving Goma, a city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jomsom Airport</span> Domestic airport serving Jomsom, Gandaki Province, Nepal

Jomsom Airport is a domestic airport located in Jomsom serving Mustang District, a district in Gandaki Province in Nepal. It serves as the gateway to Mustang District that includes Jomsom, Kagbeni, Tangbe, and Lo Manthang, and Muktinath temple, which is a popular pilgrimage for Nepalis and Indian pilgrims.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tara Air</span> Nepalese airline

Tara Air Pvt. Ltd. is an airline headquartered in Kathmandu, Nepal. It is a subsidiary of Yeti Airlines. Tara Air was formed in 2009 using aircraft from the Yeti Airlines fleet and is based at Tribhuvan International Airport, with a secondary hub at Nepalgunj Airport. The airline operates scheduled flights and air charter services with a fleet of STOL aircraft, previously provided by Yeti Airlines. Its operations focus on serving remote and mountainous airports and airstrips.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Kongolo Antonov An-32B crash</span> Aviation accident in the Democratic Republic of Congo

On 26 August 2007, an Antonov An-32B crashed at Kongolo Airport in Kongolo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing 14 of the 15 people on board.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Accidents and incidents involving the An-12 family</span>

The Antonov An-12 is a transport aircraft designed and manufactured by the Ukrainian manufacturing and services company Antonov. Given the long operational history of the An-12, more than 190 An-12s have crashed involving many casualties. The An-12 has also been involved in a number of aviation incidents.

Busy Bee Congo is a domestic charter airline which operates in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

References

  1. 1 2 Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Dornier 228-201 9S-GNH Goma Airport (GOM)". Aviation Safety Network. Flight Safety Foundation . Retrieved 2019-11-27.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hradecky, Simon (24 November 2019). "Crash: Busy Bee D228 at Goma on Nov 24th 2019, impacted populated area past departure runway". avherald.com. The Aviation Herald . Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  3. ↑ "Plane crash kills at least 24 people in eastern Congo". Euronews . Reuters. 24 November 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  4. ↑ "More than two dozen killed in small plane crash in Congo, including some on ground". CBS News . Associated Press. 24 November 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  5. 1 2 Finlay, Mark (24 November 2019). "Plane Carrying 17 Crashes In Democratic Republic Of Congo". Simple Flying. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  6. 1 2 3 "DR Congo: Many dead as plane crashes into homes". BBC News . BBC. 24 November 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  7. ↑ "ASN Aircraft accident Dornier 228-201 SX-BHC Sitia Airport (JSH)". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  8. ↑ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Dornier 228-201 SX-BHC Athens-Ellinikon International Airport (ATH)". Aviation Safety Network. Flight Safety Foundation. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
  9. ↑ "COMPTE RENDU PRELIMINAIRE DE L'ACCIDENT de l'aéronef Dornier 228-200, 9S-GNH à GOMA, appartenant à la compagnie Busy Bee Congo" [PRELIMINARY REPORT OF THE ACCIDENT to the aircraft Dornier 228-200, 9S-GNH at GOMA, belonging to the company Busy Bee Congo](PDF) (in French). Permanent Office of Investigations of Aviation Accidents/Incidents. 2020-01-10. Retrieved 2020-10-29.[ permanent dead link ]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.