1996 Air Africa Antonov An-32 crash

1996 aviation accident in Zaire December 2025 December 2025 Antonov An-32B, Moscow Airways AN1115966.jpg RA-26222, the aircraft involved in the accident, pictured in 1994 1996 Air Africa Antonov An-32 crash yes 1996 01 08 Runway overrun after failed takeoff Accident N'Dolo Airport, Kinshasa, Zaire 4.3295 S 15.318 E region:CD-KN_type:event inline,title 6 0 6 4 500+ 4http://www.sahistory.org.za/dated-event/cargo-plane-crashes-market-kinshasa-zaire-killing-least-350-people A cargo plane crashes into a market in Kinshasa, Zaire, killing at least 350 people South African History Online 8 February 1996 4 July 2017 2 Antonov An-32B Moscow Airways on behalf of Air Africa RA-26222 N'Dolo Airport Kahemba Airport 227-350 504+ 225-348 On 8 January 1996, a Moscow Airways Antonov An-32B operating on behalf of Air Africa overran the runway at N'Dolo Airport after attempting to take off overloaded. The aircraft was flying from Kinshasa to Kahemba, Zaire. The aircraft ploughed into Kinshasa's Simbazikita street market. Four of the six crew of the aircraft survived the accident. On the ground, however, it is estimated that there were between 225 and 348 fatalities, with more than 500 people injured. It was the deadliest aviation accident in African history until the 2018 Algerian Air Force Ilyushin Il-76 crash,Walsh Declan 11 April 2018 Military Plane Crash Is Algeria's Worst Air Disaster, With 257 Dead https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/11/world/middleeast/algeria-military-plane-crash.html 11 April 2018 The New York Times 0362-4331 the deadliest to occur in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the deadliest accident in terms of ground fatalities, superseded only by the intentional crashes of American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 in the September 11 attacks in 2001. Background After decades of conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa, the air transport business is complex and often illegal. The aircraft was operated on behalf of Air Africa, chartered from Scibe Airlift, who in turn contracted Moscow Airways.Peleman, Johan. "The logistics of sanctions busting: the airborne component" https://web.archive.org/web/20070307005934/http://www.iss.co.za/Pubs/BOOKS/Angola/15Peleman.pdf 7 March 2007, (PDF file), page 303 Around this time, Scibe Airlift, a company owned by Bemba Saolona with ties to President Mobutu Sese Seko, was found to be transporting arms to UNITA.Small Arms Survey 2001: Profiling the Problem, (PDF file), Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva, chapter 3, page 118 Accident While attempting to take off fully fuelled and overloaded from N'Dolo Airport's short runway, the An-32B did not achieve sufficient speed to bring its nose up, yet began to lift. It crashed into the open-air Simbazikita produce market, full of shacks, pedestrians and cars, and its full fuel load ignited. The number of casualties cited varies from 225 (per the manslaughter charges) to 348.28 February 2001 An Airplane Crash into Type-K Ndolo Market: What Lesson for the Future?" (abstract) http://pdm.medicine.wisc.edu/Mainzabstracts.html#airplane dead https://web.archive.org/web/20010228015010/http://pdm.medicine.wisc.edu/Mainzabstracts.html#airplane 28 February 2001 1 May 2023 pdm.medicine.wisc.edu Aftermath The first injured went to the Mama Yemo Hospital (now Kinshasa General Hospital), which was quickly overwhelmed. Two other hospitals took the additional victims. A worker with the International Committee of the Red Cross, Vincent Nicod, stated that 217 bodies were found at the market, in addition to 32 more bodies possibly already at morgues within the city.9 January 1996 Plane in Zaire hits Market, Killing 250 The New York Times Reuters https://www.nytimes.com/1996/01/09/world/plane-in-zaire-hits-market-killing-250.html 3 January 2019 0362-4331 President Mobutu and Saolona both attended the funeral on 10 January 1996 at the Protestant Centenary Cathedral (fr Cathédrale du Centenaire).Zaire: Info-Zaire #111 (excerpts), 02/12/'96 https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Urgent_Action/apic_21296.html 1 May 2023 www.africa.upenn.edu The Russian pilots, Nicolai Kazarin and Andrei Gouskov, were charged and convicted of manslaughter, each receiving the maximum two-year sentence. At trial, they admitted they were using borrowed clearance papers from Scibe Airlift, that they knew the flight was illegal, and that the flight was actually bound for Angola. Scibe Airlift and African Air paid fines of US$1.4 million to the families and the injured.Henry William 13 June 2006 The Forgotten Disaster in Zaire http://www.airliners.net/articles/read.main?id=90 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20070930155005/http://www.airliners.net/articles/read.main?id=90 30 September 2007 References External links Democratic Republic of the Congo Russia Aviation 1990s J Rupert, Zaïre reportedly selling arms to Angolan ex-rebels, The Washington Post, 21 March 1997. Chaos am Himmel ueber Afrika Die Zeit, (May 1996) de Bolenge Ngbanzo "La place Type-K 'new look': un paradis pour les chasseurs d'immondices" l'Avenir, 9 July 2008 fr 19960108-0 Crash-ArienSeptember 2018 InternetArchiveBot yes (mixed en/fr) Russian airfax 12 January 1996 HKKZwQRtlMM Aftermath of the crash from Associated Press Archive Category:Aviation accidents and incidents involving the Antonov An-32 Category:1996 in Zaire Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1996 Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Category:Airliner accidents and incidents involving runway overruns Category:Air Africa accidents and incidents Category:Moscow Airways accidents and incidents Category:January 1996 in Africa