AirJet Angola Embraer 145LR plane crash

The Embraer ERJ-145 operated by AirJet Angola was performing a charter flight to Kolwezi (Democratic Republic of the Congo), following a stopover in Lubumbashi (Democratic Republic of the Congo). There were 26 passengers and 3 crew members on board. During landing at Kolwezi Airport, both main landing gear assemblies collapsed and the aircraft veered off the runway before catching fire. All 29 occupants evacuated the aircraft and no injuries were reported.

Part of the runway was undergoing construction work and the threshold had been displaced by 1,000 metres, leaving 1,500 metres available for landing. Available information indicates that the aircraft touched down before the displaced threshold, in the section affected by the works. The main landing gear separated from the aircraft, which slid along the runway before coming to rest across it, after which a fire developed.

The aircraft had been chartered by the Ministry of Mines of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to transport a government delegation to Kolwezi following a fatal mining accident in the region. The flight had departed Kinshasa-N’Djili and made a stopover in Lubumbashi.

The aircraft was registered D2-AJB. Built in 2001, the ERJ-145 was destroyed in the accident.