Narrative:
A Boeing 737-300 cargo plane, operated by Serve Air, suffered a runway excursion and nose gear collapse after landing on runway 07 at Lubumbashi International Airport, D.R. Congo.
The aircraft departed Kinshasa-N'Djili Airport on a cargo flight to Lubumbashi. A training captain was seated on the right and the trainee captain on the left seat. The third pilot had the role of safety pilot. The trainee captain was on his fifth line training flight.
At Lubumbashi, the crew was cleared for an instrument landing procedure for runway 07. In the pre-landing briefing, AUTO BRAKE 2 mode was selected for deceleration of the aircraft. No anomalies or technical malfunctions were reported to ATC.
The weather conditions were good with calm winds. On landing, the aircraft landed in the touchdown zone according to the crew, the rollout on the runway appeared normal, and deceleration was progressive. At about 80 knots, the crew noted that the aircraft was diverging to the left of the runway centreline. The crew immediately switched to manual braking, but to no avail, the aircraft continued the skid until it went off the runway and came to a stop, leaving the right main gear on the runway. The nose landing gear, passing over the less compact shoulder, became bogged down and then broke off. The left main landing gear, with the weight of the aircraft, also dug in so that the left engine touched the ground.
The aircraft sustained substantial damage in the area of the nose landing gear cage (wheel well).
Contributing facts:
(a) Reduction of simulator training hours for economic reasons for someone who has never performed the duties of controlling an aircraft on the ground.
(b) The runway shoulders at Lubumbashi (Luano) do not have the same characteristics with regard to strength (see Annex 14 and Document 9157 Part 3).
In conclusion, the actions taken on the rudder before it became ineffective must have been the cause of the aircraft's deviation from the runway centreline and the loss of control of the aircraft (LOC-G).
Runway excursion (veer-off)
| Status: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
| Date: | Sunday 4 March 2018 |
| Time: | 12:01 |
| Type: |  Boeing 737-322 (SF) |
| Operator: | Serve Air |
| Registration: | 9S-ASG |
| MSN: | 24378/1704 |
| First flight: | 1989-04-01 (28 years 11 months) |
| Total airframe hrs: | 61721 |
| Cycles: | 36555 |
| Engines: | 2 CFMI CFM56-3C1 |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 5 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 6 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Aircraft fate: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | Lubumbashi International Airport (FBM) ( Congo (Democratic Republic))
|
| Phase: | Landing (LDG) |
| Nature: | Cargo |
| Departure airport: | Kinshasa-N'Djili Airport (FIH/FZAA), Congo (Democratic Republic) |
| Lubumbashi International Airport (FBM/FZQA), Congo (Democratic Republic) |
A Boeing 737-300 cargo plane, operated by Serve Air, suffered a runway excursion and nose gear collapse after landing on runway 07 at Lubumbashi International Airport, D.R. Congo.
The aircraft departed Kinshasa-N'Djili Airport on a cargo flight to Lubumbashi. A training captain was seated on the right and the trainee captain on the left seat. The third pilot had the role of safety pilot. The trainee captain was on his fifth line training flight.
At Lubumbashi, the crew was cleared for an instrument landing procedure for runway 07. In the pre-landing briefing, AUTO BRAKE 2 mode was selected for deceleration of the aircraft. No anomalies or technical malfunctions were reported to ATC.
The weather conditions were good with calm winds. On landing, the aircraft landed in the touchdown zone according to the crew, the rollout on the runway appeared normal, and deceleration was progressive. At about 80 knots, the crew noted that the aircraft was diverging to the left of the runway centreline. The crew immediately switched to manual braking, but to no avail, the aircraft continued the skid until it went off the runway and came to a stop, leaving the right main gear on the runway. The nose landing gear, passing over the less compact shoulder, became bogged down and then broke off. The left main landing gear, with the weight of the aircraft, also dug in so that the left engine touched the ground.
The aircraft sustained substantial damage in the area of the nose landing gear cage (wheel well).
Probable Cause:
Contributing facts:
(a) Reduction of simulator training hours for economic reasons for someone who has never performed the duties of controlling an aircraft on the ground.
(b) The runway shoulders at Lubumbashi (Luano) do not have the same characteristics with regard to strength (see Annex 14 and Document 9157 Part 3).
In conclusion, the actions taken on the rudder before it became ineffective must have been the cause of the aircraft's deviation from the runway centreline and the loss of control of the aircraft (LOC-G).
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Classification:
Landing gear collapseRunway excursion (veer-off)
Sources:
» Times.cdPhotos
Video, social media
Incident aerien à latterrissage à Lubumbashi avec Christian Bila, sans faire aucune victime. Apparemment un problème de steering ( hydraulic failure ? ). Christian est un excellent pilote, il a très bien fait ça, un petit à moi. Dégâts limités. pic.twitter.com/hdLil6Vuwu
— Stavros Papaioannou (@StavrosPRdc) March 4, 2018
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Kinshasa-N'Djili Airport to Lubumbashi International Airport as the crow flies is 1546 km (966 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
Distance from Kinshasa-N'Djili Airport to Lubumbashi International Airport as the crow flies is 1546 km (966 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
languages: 
Congo (Democratic Republic)
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Boeing 737-300
Congo (Democratic Republic)- 82nd worst accident (at the time)
- 91st worst accident (currently)
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