Africa

The private pilot was accompanied by his wife and his two daughters on a flight from Port Elizabeth to his farm in the Cradock district. On arrival at Cradock, the pilot apparently over-flew the runway for inspection and was on the downwind leg when the aircraft started to roll and yaw to the left. All engine indications were normal and the pilot had to decrease power on the right-hand engine in order to maintain control of the aircraft. With the reduction in power of the right-hand engine, the pilot was unable to maintain height and executed a forced landing on an open field. The aircraft was extensively damaged during the forced landing but no injuries were sustained. An on-site investigation was carried out on 24 December 2000 after which the aircraft was recovered to Lanseria aerodrome for further inspection. On inspection of the Left-hand propeller it was noted that the carbon block of the low pitch proximity sensor, which normally runs inside the Low-Pitch stop collar, was bent down at an angle, which would have rendered the secondary Low-Pitch stop inoperative. Due to the fact that the aircraft sustained damage to it's electronic circuitry it was not possible to verify the proper operation of the propeller pitch control system.

En route from Bunia to Beni, while cruising in poor weather conditions, the twin engine airplane crashed in a wooded and hilly terrain located near Geti, some 40 km east of Bunia. All six occupants were killed. The exact cause of the accident remains unknown but the aircraft may have been shot down by Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels fighting the Uganda government.

After landing at Luzamba Airport, the aircraft was unable to stop within the remaining distance, overran and came to a halt. All six occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

The aircraft departed Luxembourg-Findel Airport on a cargo flight to Johannesburg with an intermediate stop in Port Harcourt, carrying nine passengers, four crew members and a load consisting of almost 60 tons of electronics. On a night approach to Port Harcourt Airport, the copilot who was the pilot-in-command failed to comply with the company published procedures and carried a non-standard autopilot approach, tracking a localizer radial inbound and descending using the vertical speed mode as reference. On short final, the crew failed to realize his altitude was insufficient when the aircraft struck the ground 700 metres short of runway. The undercarriage was torn off and the aircraft slid for few dozen metres before coming to rest with its front section that broke away, bursting into flames. A crew member was killed, seven occupants were injured and five escaped uninjured. The aircraft was partially destroyed by fire.

The aircraft departed Johannesburg International Airport at 0119Z on an international cargo flight to Eros, an aerodrome located on the outskirts of Windhoek the capital of Namibia. There were two pilots and a passenger onboard the aircraft as well a substantial amount of cargo, consisting mainly of express freight parcels and two heavy steel bars approximately 3 metres in length each. The aircraft crashed approximately 106 seconds after commencing its take-off roll, impacting the ground in a left wing low attitude approximately 700 metres South of the threshold of runway 03R at Johannesburg International Airport in a marshy area. All three occupants onboard were fatally injured and the aircraft was destroyed.

The twin engine aircraft departed Mahajanga, Madagascar, on a charter flight to Saint-Denis de La Réunion, with an intermediate stop in Antananarivo, carrying five passengers and two pilots. While approaching Antananarivo-Ivato Airport, the aircraft went out of control and crashed in a mountainous area located about 30 km from the airport. The aircraft was destroyed and all seven occupants were killed.

During the takeoff roll at Lubumbashi-Luano Airport, a deflector located on the right main gear failed. The crew continued the takeoff procedure and after liftoff, the right main gear could not be raised in its wheel well. Initially, the crew decided to continue to Kinshasa in a 'gear down' configuration but eventually decided to return to Lubumbashi for a safe landing. After touchdown, the aircraft deviated to the right of the runway centerline then veered off runway and came to rest in a ditch. All three crew members escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

After landing at Libreville-Léon M'Ba Airport, the aircraft encountered difficulties to stop within the remaining distance. It overran, lost its nose gear and came to rest few dozen metres further. There were no casualties but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Eight minutes after takeoff from Kama, en route to Kampene, one of the engine failed. The crew decided to divert to Bukavu that was distant of 225 km from Kama. While descending to Bukavu-Kavumu Airport, the aircraft stalled and crashed in a wooded area located about 20 km from the airport. Both pilots and two passengers were killed while seven other occupants were injured, some critically. At the time of the accident, weather conditions in Kama and Bukavu were considered as good. For unknown reasons, the crew decided to divert to Bukavu instead of returning to Kama following an engine failure. It is believed that the second engine failed as well as approaching Bukavu Airport, causing the aircraft to stall and to crash. The aircraft was apparently overloaded and was carrying arms and ammunition.

Following an uneventful flight from Sana'a, the three engine aircraft landed on runway 25 at Asmara-Johannes IV Airport. After touchdown on a wet runway surface, the crew started the braking procedure and the thrust reverser systems were activated. Unable to stop within the remaining distance (runway 25 is 3 km long), the aircraft overran and collided with a concrete block, causing the left main gear to be torn off. All 140 occupants evacuated safely while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. At the time of the accident, wind was from 200 at 6 knots and the runway surface was wet due to recent rain falls. The exact touchdown point could not be determined and all braking systems were available and properly used after landing. The aircraft collided with a concrete block located beside a runway light just past the runway end.