Wheels up & other crash in Zambia?

[Carrier]

Two sources have independently mentioned that an aircraft belonging to Ngwazi Air Charter did a wheels up landing late last month at Lunga but they are rather short on details. Is this just a rumour or did the event actually happen? If so, was it gear malfunction (a fairly common problem with Barons) or pilot error, was it 9J-LYU, were any pax involved and was anyone hurt?


Another rumour floating around that has not shown up on this forum is that a single engine aircraft (possibly a C185?) crashed a few months ago near Mpika in Northern Zambia, apparently with some injuries, after engine failure. Does anyone have any details?


If the above are confirmed, then what is going on in Zambia? I have heard that there have been two Tiger Moth prangs at Livingstone this year, plus the Star of Africa fatal C206 crash and Ex-President Chiluba’s Avocet C421 charter returning to Lusaka with engine failure. There may have been other incidents that I have not heard of. I am not sure how many aircraft are on the Zambian register but the number of crashes and incidents in Zambia does seem unduly high. Anyone there care to make some sensible comments on this?

[Coleman Myers]

Sad to hear the wheels are not staying on. Is there yet a maintenance facility to be found there ?.

[Parrot]

The part that puzzels me is "Two Tiger Moth prangs at Livingstone"
Firstly, were there / are there two Tigers on the Zambian register ? ... And if they were SA registered examples ...how come there has been no noise about it in SA ?

Do you have details of these prangs ...registrations etc ?

[ChiyaWena]

anyone got any more gen about LYU, i know the plane well. hope it was nothing to serious!!

[Carrier]

The story, admittedly second or third hand, is that the same Tiger Moth has had two prangs this year. I recall hearing many months ago, perhaps March to May, that it had gone down with engine failure. I did not pay much attention as nobody seems to have been hurt and sh*t happens anyway. About two months ago it went down again, apparently due to engine failure just after take-off. Twice within a few months does get one’s attention. My contact mentioned that according to a Zambian newspaper there was an Australian tourist in the front seat and his flight lasted about a minute. The paper reported that the Tiger Moth was a microlight, received some damage and the occupants were not hurt. Apparently the newspaper gives the impression that it was operating from a small strip nearer to the Falls than Livingstone airport. The newspaper does not seem to be too reliable or accurate. I have no further information on the situation. If the damage was not much then perhaps there is a chance to operate it again this year (maybe it is already back in action?). It will be interesting to know the registration of the Tiger Moth.

It’s odd how reluctant Zambian Pruners seem to be to mention any incidents or crashes there. My contacts mention there have been other unreported crashes in Zambia. One pointed out that the Proflight Cherokee 6 crash does not show up in a search. Apparently last year a privately registered C172 crashed at one of the strips in the Lower Zambezi some time before the Nchanga Flying Club C172 crash. This seems to have been another heavily loaded situation with three occupants, camping and hunting gear, plenty of fuel and on a hot day. It seems to have hit some trees at the end of the runway and overturned. All apparently got out ok. About two years ago a King Air 90 apparently belonging to Zambian Skyways did such a heavy landing at Ndola that the gear was bent, the props were bent back, and the wings were wrinkled and had rivets pulled out. It’s rumoured that the pax were a government minister and some bureaucrats. Around the same time a King Air 200, possibly from the DRC, seems to have done a wheels up at Ndola. A chopper pranged near Livingstone within the past year or so. These all involve civil aircraft but the Zambian Air Force seems to have had its share as well. It seems a Y12 went down a year or so ago with the loss of about a dozen lives and ZAF’s small piston engine trainers have had a few incidents too. Does anyone have any further info on these or any other unreported crashes?

How widespread is this hush-it-up problem in Africa? It also goes on in Botswana as per the thread “Chieftain down in Botswana 16 March 2006”. This only made it on here in October. I also heard that a C206 belonging to Flying Mission Services crashed in Botswana in September. This seems to have turned over on making a forced landing. Nobody hurt as far as I am aware. Do some people think that ignoring the crash and incident rate will cause it to go away? Last night I was listening to the BBC programme on the aviation crash rate in Africa. There is a severe problem that needs to be addressed! Before any progress can be made all the facts have to be made available. Let’s hear what is really happening out there.

[wulf190a]

The only airfield nearer the fall on the Zambian site is Maramba which I helped to build in about 1993. It started operating English built microlights and then expanded to involve helicopters of South African registration and Zambian registered C206 for charter and parachute dropping at Livingstone. There has been one helo crash since I left that I know of made by Aerospaciale. Any more details I would love to hear.

[Carrier]

The C172 crash in the Lower Zambezi happened in late September or early October 2004. Apparently take-off was attempted with four occupants and luggage and the aircraft failed to clear trees at the end of the runway. All occupants escaped but can consider themselves lucky not to have qualified for the Darwin Award. Also in about October 2004 a Zambian registered C210 suffered damage in a heavy landing at Livingstone.