EBB Air Embraer 120RT plane crash
Mandera, Kenya
Updated on
The Embraer EMB-120ER operated by Transafrican Air Limited and identified as an EBB Air aircraft, departed Nairobi-Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya, on a commercial passenger charter flight to Mandera, Kenya. There were 32 passengers and four crew members on board. The aircraft overran runway after landing. It struck the airport perimeter fence, a thicket and a small embankment, coming to rest 89 metres beyond the runway end. All 36 occupants evacuated. One crew member sustained minor injuries.
According to the flight crew, the approach was stable. After touchdown, the aircraft did not decelerate as expected despite normal braking. The crew reported applying maximum reverse thrust and emergency braking, but could not stop the aircraft before the runway end. A “brace” command was given shortly before impact. These are the crew’s reported observations; the investigation has not yet determined why the available landing distance was insufficient.
The preliminary report describes damage to the nose, both propellers and the nose landing gear, and a fire in the left engine after impact. The crew initially suppressed the fire and local responders extinguished it. Investigators found sand contamination on the runway, but have not established that it contributed to the overrun. According to the report, meteorological conditions were suitable for the flight.