Trans Air Congo Antonov AN-12BP plane crash
Pointe Noire, Congo
Updated on
The Antonov AN-12 cargo, operated by Trans Air Congo, took off from Brazzaville, Congo, bound to Pointe Noire, Congo. Four crewmember were onboard. The plane crashed while approaching Pointe Noire airport, killing all the 4 people onboard, and 19 people on ground.
The cargo plane had been largely empty, only carrying about 750 kg of beef. It slammed into a working-class residential area of Pointe-Noire port city as it was coming in to land, killing 23 people (including the 4 crewmember and 19 fatalities on ground), and injuring 14 people on ground, and razing around a dozen houses and causing a fire that raged many hours.
Images of the aircraft's last seconds show it diving steeply and rolling to the right, crashing inverted. The video appears to show exhaust trails coming only from the two port engines. It suggests the fatal roll was caused by the impossibility to counter with the rudder the loss of both engines on the same side.
Pictures from the scene show the burnt-out remnants of the aircraft amid buildings in the suburbs of the city, with little remaining except the fin and tailplane.
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Trans Air Congo is currently on the blacklist of airlines banned from flying in the European Union.