ASN Aircraft accident Cessna 208B Grand Caravan 5X-MRH Kamonia Airstrip
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Status:Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Date:Wednesday 30 May 2018
Time:10:08 UTC
Type:Silhouette image of generic C208 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
Operator:Air Serv Limited
On behalf of:United Nations Humanitarian Air Service - UNHAS
Registration: 5X-MRH
MSN: 208B2386
First flight: 2012
Engines: 1 Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A
Crew:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Passengers:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3
Total:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 5
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:Kamonia Airstrip (   Congo (Democratic Republic))
Phase: Takeoff (TOF)
Nature:Domestic Non Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:Kamonia Airstrip, Congo (Democratic Republic)
Destination airport:Kananga Airport (KGA/FZUA), Congo (Democratic Republic)
Flightnumber:UNO212H
Narrative:
The Cessna 208B Grand Caravan aircraft was scheduled to fly from Kananga to Kamonia and back. The first part of the flight was completed without any problems. After about 30 minutes, the aircraft was scheduled to take off again. The pilot-in-command had taken the precaution to inspect the runway. The airstrip at Kamonia is almost unused, with Tussock grasses and sand banks on half of the airstrip. It was decided to take off from runway 34; on the first hundreds of meters the ground is compact. After lining up on runway 34 the PIC briefed the co-pilot explaining his choice, and that he wanted to do a "soft takeoff procedure". On take-off, the PIC selected take-off power and the aircraft began taxiing. Arriving on the sandy section, the acceleration of the aircraft was no longer progressing as expected. When the crew saw the aircraft approaching the end of the runway, the only option was to try to pull up. For fear of stalling, the angle of climb was kept low. The cargo pod on the bottom of the aircraft and the nosewheel gear touched an embankment. With all the inertia, the aircraft flipped over, coming to rest on its back. Three occupants escaped unharmed and two sustained minor injuries. The fire, which began to spread to the surrounding area, was quickly brought under control using the on-board fire extinguishers.

Probable Cause:

ACCIDENT CAUSES
1) One of the causes of this accident was the pilot's ability to make a timely decision.
2) Lack of coordination between the two CRM (standard call out) pilots during take-off manoeuvres.
Safety Deviation:
Disregard crew scheduling, as per their licences, since the privileges granted to the CPL are limited to non-commercial private aircraft only.

Accident investigation:

Investigating agency: BPEA DR Congo
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 1 years
Accident number: BPEA/ACCID 02/2018
Download report: Final report

Classification:
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Ground

Sources:
» WFP press release


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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 Kamonia Airstrip to Kananga Airport as the crow flies is 202 km (126 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.
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