TRACEP Congo Aviation Let L-410UVP-E plane crash
Buruko, Congo
Updated on
The Let L-410UVP-E operated by Tracep Congo Aviation departed Beni-Mavivi Airport in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo on July 24, 2026 for a cargo flight carrying about two tons of freight. Available sources differ on the intended destination: several aviation sources identify Kasongo or Kasongo-Lunda, while later information attributed to the operator and the Régie des voies aériennes gives Kachungu, in Shabunda territory. Three people were ultimately involved in the accident. The co-pilot was killed and two survivors were rescued.
About one hour after departure, the crew advised another aircraft that one of the two engines had lost power and that they intended to divert to Walikale. This was the last known radio contact with the aircraft.
The aircraft crashed about 5 NM, or approximately 10 km, from the village of Buruko in Walikale territory, not far from Pinga. The wreckage was located in a densely forested and particularly inaccessible area.
On July 30, six days after the accident, a Jordanian MONUSCO aviation unit evacuated two survivors to Beni and recovered the body of the co-pilot. The survivors were found about 8 kilometres from the crash site, deep in the forest, and required urgent medical care. The rescue mission was complicated by changing weather, inaccurate initial coordinates, the absence of roads and the security situation in the area.
The loss of power on one engine preceded the accident and prompted the diversion towards Walikale. It should not, however, be presented as the definitive cause of the accident in the absence of a final investigation report.
The Let L-410UVP-E involved in the accident carried the Malawian registration 7Q-GMR. Available aviation databases indicate that the aircraft was built in 1985. It was destroyed in the accident.
TRACEP Congo Aviation is currently on the blacklist of airlines banned from flying in the European Union.
Photos of the TRACEP Congo Aviation Let L-410 crash
