A Tristar Air Airbus A300-B4, registration SU-BMZ performing freight flight TSY-810 from Oostende (Belgium) to Mogadishu (Somalia) via Cairo (Egypt) with 6 crew and 40 tons of perishables (frozen food supplies packaged with carbon dioxide) on behalf of United Nations, was forced to land about 12nm northwest of Mogadishu Airport in an open field between Afgoye and Arbiska villages at about 19:00L (16:00Z). Two occupants received minor injuries in the landing, the aircraft sustained substantial damage beyond economic repair.
Somali Authorities reported the aircraft had attempted several approaches to Mogadishu Airport but had gone around each time. The aircraft subsequently performed a forced landing off the airport in a government controlled area between Afgoye and Arbiska, about 12nm northwest of Mogadishu airport. Two of the six occupants received minor injuries and were taken to hospitals.
Local police reported the aircraft had suffered problems with the landing gear prompting the approaches to be aborted.
The weather manager at Mogadishu Airport reported, the airport is officially closed from 18:00L to 06:00L (15:00Z to 03:00Z), the aircraft arrived after sunset, was unable to land, could not divert and ran out of fuel.
A listener on frequency reported that the aircraft overflew the aerodrome just prior to 15:00Z and joined a right downwind for runway 05 (over the Ocean), but on short final went around reporting the approach had become unstable. During the go around incoherent vectors were issued by tower, the aircraft joined another right hand downwind and final for runway 05 but reported they could not see the runway, the aerodrome appeared to their left and requested vectors to join the extended centerline but received vectors to the right and went around a second time. The crew advised that they were no longer able to divert having cut into the diversion fuel during that second approach advising they had now 6000kg of fuel left. Tower instructed the crew to join another right downwind for runway 05, the crew refused and joined a left downwind for runway 23. After the aircraft had joined final for runway 23 tower advised they were approaching runway 23, they were forbidden to land on runway 23, and did not issue landing clearance resulting in the third go around. Tower instructed them to join another right hand downwind for runway 05 issuing vectors to the right, the crew advised they had 4000kg of fuel left, the fourth approach to runway 05 failed, 2000kg of fuel left, the aircraft received vectors taking it far to the north for a downwind to runway 05, the crew advised they had just 400 kg of fuel left, tower instructed to not overfly the village, another voice appeared on the tower frequency trying to assist, an engine flamed out, 200 kg of fuel remaining, the second engine flamed out and the crew put the aircraft down on the next free spot visible at about 16:00Z.
The airport had been damaged by a Tsunami in 2007, in 2010 the United Nations called for a tender to supply runway lights and according to media reports contracted solar/battery powered LED runway edge and threshold lighting systems as well as a solar/battery powered LED APAPI approach guidance lighting system, all of which by specification are capable to ensure 24/7 operation. There is no indication Mogadishu Airport has approach lights or precision approaches. The airport offers a runway 05/23 of 3220 meters/10,560 feet length.
Aeronautical information received by The Aviation Herald on Oct 16th 2015 suggests supported by the video as referenced to below, too, that aircraft destined for Mogadishu have to maintain 6000 feet or above until overflying the Aerodrome (MG VOR/MG NDB), join a right downwind to runway 05 over the Ocean descending to 1500 feet on downwind and join a short final no farther than 1.5nm from the threshold. In 2011 the information provided by Somalia's Civil Aviation Authority also defined a left hand traffic pattern to runway 23 also requiring to cross over the VOR/NDB at 6000 feet or above, join the downwind over the Ocean descending to pattern height and join final (no restriction on length of final mentioned). No more recent document is available (any reader having more recent documentation issued by SCAMA, Civil Aviation Authority of Somalia, please tell us via the contact page below). Currently available aeronautical information posted below.
According to information from pilots the runway lighting is not operative, runway 23 is not available for landings due to security concerns, all landings have to occur on runway 05. According to a document received by The Aviation Herald above the surface runway edge lights do exist however and restrict the turn radius available for aircraft needing to do 180s on the runway.
No weather data are available, both weather stations at the airport (METARs) and local weather station were offline, METARs produced only NIL messages. On Oct 12th 2015 sunset was at 17:47L (14:47Z).
Only NOTAM active on Oct 12th 2015:
A0006/15 - OPERATORS SHOULD EXER EXTREME CTN AND FULLY ASSESS THE POTENIAL FOR RISKS TO FLT SAFETY AND SECURITY WHEN PLANNING OR CONDUCTING
OPS INTO MOGADISHU AIRPORT DUE TO LACK OF INFORMATION ON ARMED CONFLICT AND THE LACK OF AERONAUTICAL INFORMATION. 27 FEB 13:30 2015 UNTIL 26 FEB 23:59 2016 ESTIMATED. CREATED: 27 FEB 14:11 2015
NOTAM added on Oct 15th 2015, 3 days past accident:
A0037/15 - AFIS IS PROVIDED AT MOGADISHU ADEN ADDE INTL AP CMA FLIGHT INFORMATION ZONE RADIUS 15NM FM PSN 020048N0451818E CMA LOWER LIMIT GND/SFC UPPER LIMITS 3000FT AMSL CMA AD ELEVATION 030FT AMSL CMA CALLSIGN MOGADISHU AERODROME INFORMATION FREQ 118.1MHZ CMA HRS OF OPS 0315-1500UTC DAILY. 15 OCT 09:15 2015 UNTIL PERM. CREATED: 15 OCT 09:19 2015
Accident: Tristar A30B at Mogadishu on Oct 12th 2015, forced landing off airport