AirJet Angola Flight 100
D2-AJB, the aircraft involved in the accident, pictured in January 2025 | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 17 November 2025 |
| Summary | Runway excursion following landing gear collapse; under investigation |
| Site |
|
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Embraer ERJ-145 |
| Operator | AirJet Exploração Aérea de Carga |
| ICAO flight No. | MBC100 |
| Call sign | MABECO 100 |
| Registration | D2-AJB |
| Flight origin | N'djili Airport, N'djili, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Destination | Kolwezi Airport, Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Occupants | 29 |
| Passengers | 26 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Survivors | 29 |
AirJet Angola Flight 100 was a domestic passenger flight in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) chartered by the Congolese government from N'djili Airport in Kinshasa to Kolwezi in Lualaba Province with a stopover at Lubumbashi in Haut-Katanga Province. On 17 November 2025, the aircraft operating the flight, an Embraer ERJ-145, touched down on Runway 29 before a displaced threshold at Kolwezi International Airport, resulting in a collapse of the aircraft's landing gear and subsequent lateral runway excursion. As a result, the aircraft's aft fuselage caught fire. All 26 passengers (including a DRC government minister) and 3 crew safely evacuated the plane before the fire spread forward and consumed most of the fuselage. Nobody on the ground was injured.
Background
Aircraft
The aircraft involved in the crash was an Embraer ERJ-145 with registration D2-AJB[1] and manufacturer's serial number (MSN) 145456. At the time of the crash, it was almost 25 years old. It was acquired by the airline in 2024.[2]
Crew
The flight had a crew of three on board.[1]
Accident
The ERJ-145 used for this flight had been chartered by the DRC Ministry of Mines to fly an official delegation to Kolwezi after a fatal accident at a mine in that part of the country. The flight originated in the DRC's capital, Kinshasa[3] and had made a stop at Lubumbashi International Airport[1] before later touching down on Kolwezi's Runway 29 at 11:38 CAT before having reached the runway's displaced threshold; the threshold had been displaced by 1000 m to allow room for demolition and re-construction work that was being done on the runway.[1] There were eyewitness reports from the scene of a possible technical malfunction involving the landing gear's tyres, which might have led to the aircraft's lateral runway excursion.[3] The main landing gear collapsed, and the aircraft skidded off to the side of the runway on its belly, followed by the tail section bursting into flames. All 26 passengers and 3 crew evacuated the aircraft before it was destroyed by fire.[1][4]
Among the passengers was 63-year-old Louis Watum Kabamba, the DRC's Minister of Mines.[5] He had been travelling to the area, along with his entourage, to visit the site of a recent disaster at a mine that had claimed many lives (variously stated to have been "more than thirty" and "more than forty").[5][3] This involved a bridge in the Kalondo region that had collapsed two days before the crash after being overloaded.[1] Kabamba and his delegation were travelling there to inspect the bridge collapse site and to have meetings with local authorities.[4]
There were no casualties in the crash or ensuing fire.[5] Isaac Nyembo, Kabamba's communications adviser, told reporters "We all got out before the flames engulfed the aircraft."[3] However, he also mentioned that all luggage and equipment in the aircraft's cargo hold had been destroyed in the fire.[4]
Aftermath
Photographs and videos show the post-crash fire,[5] and the burnt-out fuselage after the fire had been put out. A video taken by a passenger in the cabin prior to the crash shows the flight's hard landing and runway overrun. Also seen in one video are heaps of asphalt concrete and damage to the runway.[3][1]
AirJet Exploração Aérea de Carga said in a statement on social media that the aircraft was "a total loss", and that the airline was helping the aeronautical authorities in the investigation into the crash, "following all international safety protocols".[5]
Investigation
On 19 November, two days after the crash, the DRC's Bureau Permanent d'Enquêtes d'Accidents et Incidents d'Aviation (BPEA) announced that it had sent a team of four to Kolwezi to conduct an investigation into the crash.[1]
See also
- 2025 in aviation
- List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft
- List of accidents and incidents involving airliners in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- List of accidents and incidents involving the Embraer ERJ family
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Hradecky, Simon (17 November 2025). "Accident: AirJet Angola E145 at Kolwezi on Nov 17th 2025, touched down before runway, aircraft in flames". avherald.com. The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
- ^ Copeland, Thomas and Mwai, Peter (18 November 2025). "What we know about plane that caught fire in DR Congo". bbc.com. London: British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d e "DRC mines minister safe following plane crash in Kolwezi". Dakar: African Press Agency. 18 November 2025. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
- ^ a b c Agrawal, Saumya (18 November 2025). "Chartered jet carrying Congo minister bursts into flames at Kolwezi Airport – WATCH". news9live.com. India: News9 Live. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Walcott, Escher (18 November 2025). "Private Jet Carrying 18 Skids Off Runway and Bursts into Flames While Traveling to Mine Bridge Collapse That Killed 32". New York City: People Inc. Retrieved 21 November 2025.