Filair Let 410UVP plane crash
Bandundu, Congo
Updated on
The Filair LET L-410 was performing a passenger flight from Kinshasa, Congo, to Bandundu, Congo, with 18 passengers and 3 crewmembers. The plane crashed into a house about 2 km from Bandundu Airport. 20 occupants were killed in the accident, and one passenger survived. The airplane was destroyed, there was no fire.
After an abortive attempt to land, the aircraft turned away and crashed towards the edge of Bandundu city, hitting an earthen house. The cause of the crash is unknown, but it is very likely that it has been caused by a human error that lead the plane to stall.
The owner of the private airline Filair, a Belgian citizen, was at the controls of the Let-410 plane and was among those killed.
2 months after the accident, an African media reported the presence of a crocodile onboard that escaped from a suitcase, leading to a stampede. Passengers then rushed to the cockpit unbalancing the aircraft to a point, where control was lost. This story has then been reported by many international media. However, this is a very unlikely story: it is based on the testimony of an unidentified person. Nobody on ground remembers having seen a crocodile and the plane survivor has never told about such a story. In addition, among all the photos that were taken on the crash scene, no crocodile have been captured.
Filair is currently on the blacklist of airlines banned from flying in the European Union.
