TRACEP Congo Aviation Let L-410UVP plane crash

The Let L-410UVP operated by Tracep Congo Aviation had departed Kikwit, Democratic Republic of the Congo, bound for Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on a charter flight carrying, among others, a delegation of military officials. There were 13 passengers and 4 crew members on board. While the aircraft was flying over the Kenge area in Kwango Province, the crew encountered a technical problem and began looking for a suitable place to make an emergency landing. After circling the town several times, the aircraft crashed into a plot of land in the Manzau neighbourhood, in Masikita commune, and caught fire. All 17 occupants were killed.

The aircraft was operating the return sector from Kikwit to Kinshasa. The pilot made several circuits over Kenge while searching for an area where the aircraft could land. Kenge’s former airfield was no longer operational, and part of its former site had been occupied by buildings. The aircraft eventually crashed into an unoccupied plot in the Manzau neighbourhood during daylight hours.

The impact was followed by a severe fire that almost completely destroyed the aircraft. Among those killed were several senior officials from the Congolese military justice system, including the President of the High Military Court and the Auditor General of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They were returning from an official mission in Kikwit.

Initial information indicates that the aircraft encountered a problem in flight and that the crew attempted to make an emergency landing at Kenge. These details remain preliminary. The nature of the technical problem, the decisions taken by the crew and the precise circumstances of the impact will have to be established by the investigation.

Tracep Congo Aviation suspended

The day after the accident, the Congolese Ministry of Transport suspended Tracep Congo Aviation’s Air Operator Certificate throughout the Democratic Republic of the Congo, pending the conclusions of the investigations. This was the second fatal accident involving a Let L-410 operated by TRACEP in just over two months, following the July 24, 2026 accident in the Walikale region.

The aircraft

The Let L-410UVP involved in the accident was registered 9S-GUC and carried manufacturer serial number 831110. Built in 1983 according to the aviation databases consulted, the twin-engine turboprop had previously been observed operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The aircraft was destroyed by the impact and the subsequent fire.