Ilyushin II-76

Shortly after takeoff from Entebbe Airport runway 17, while climbing by night, the aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in the Lake Victoria, some 10 km south from Entebbe airport. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 11 occupants were killed, among them 3 Army Officer from Burundi and one Army Officer from Uganda. They were flying to Mogadishu on behalf of the Amisom, the African Union Mission In Somalia. The aircraft was chartered by the US Company Dynacorp to carry tents and water purification equipments.

The aircraft was dispatched to Makhachkala to deliver troops, military equipment and cargo with 7 crew members on board. Ready for the next trip to Nizhny Novgorod, the crew was cleared to taxi to the holding point of runway 14. At that time, the visibility was poor due to the night and foggy conditions. A second Ilyushin II-76MD registered RA-76827 was on approach to runway 14 with 25 passengers and a crew of six on board. On final approach, the navigator informed the crew that the headlights should be switched on but no actions was taken. In a visibility lower than 800 metres, the aircraft landed on the left part of the runway, 530 metres past the runway threshold. Almost immediately after touchdown, the airplane veered off runway to the left, rolled for about 512 metres when its left wing collided with the cockpit of the II-76 registered RA-76825 that was waiting at a position located 41 metres past the holding position markings. RA-76827 continued to roll parallel to the runway and eventually stopped 1'876 metres past the runway 14 threshold with only minor damage, and no one on board was injured. The cockpit of RA-76825 was totally destroyed and four crew members were killed while three others were injured.

The aircraft was cleared for takeoff and began its departure roll with flaps retracted, according to flight data recorder. The aircraft rotated at 280 kph (151 knots) and became airborne at 288 kph (155 knots) at an angle of attack of about 8-9 degrees. Tyre marks on the runway showed, that the aircraft had gone past the end of the runway, the main tyres had impacted runway end lights and the tyre tracks continued past the paved surface of the stopway. Climbing through 15 feet the pilot flying commanded the gear up and increased the pitch angle, the angle of attack increased to more than 10 degrees while the gear doors opened for gear retraction increasing the drag of the aircraft, which began to slow, the speed reduced to 305 kph (164 knots), stall speed for the takeoff weight, and the left wing began to stall, the angle of attack increased to 17 degrees, the aircraft at a height of 5-7 meters/15-23 feet. The pilot flying tried to counteract the roll to the left by fully applying left aileron which also deployed the right wing spoilers, right rudder input was provided. The pilot flying instructed the flight engineer to NOT retract flaps indicative neither pilot was aware the flaps were up. Following that instruction the flight engineer selected the flaps down, the aircraft speed was 300 kph (162 knots) and the aircraft in an unrecoverable stall with no height left. The left hand wing struck a high voltage mast about 1200 meters past the runway end at a height of 5.4 meters (18 feet) shearing off the left wing tip, contacted the flag post at the entrance of the Green Square, the left wing contacted the stem of a tree at a height of about 40 cm (1.3 feet) separating the ailerons and causing fuel spilling from the left wing, the aircraft broke through the eastern brick wall of Green Square, collided with two more electric poles causing engine #4 to separate 1504 meters from the end of the runway and impacted ground at 30 degrees nose down, 30 degrees left bank. Debris was distributed over a length of more than 500 meters, the aircraft burst into flames. All 4 crew perished in the crash, 4 people on the ground received serious, 3 more received minor injuries.

Upon landing at Kandahar Airport, the engine n°1 exploded and caught fire. The crew was able to stop the aircraft and to evacuate the cabin. The left wing and wing root suffered fire damage.

Upon landing at Bamako-Senou Airport, the nose gear collapsed. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and all six crew members evacuated safely. The exact date of the mishap remains unknown, somewhere in October 2007.

The aircraft was departing Mogadishu on a ferry flight to Minsk with an intermediate stop in Djibouti City, carrying 4 technicians of the operator and 7 crew members who were returning to Belarus after they recovered materials and instruments from another II-76 (EW-78826) that was damaged beyond repair at Mogadishu Airport last March 9. Shortly after takeoff, while in initial climb, the aircraft was hit by a missile that struck the left wing between both engines n°1 and 2. An explosion occurred and the aircraft caught fire. The crew initiated a turn when the left wing detached and crashed in the sea. Out of control, the aircraft crashed on a beach near the airport, killing all 11 occupants.

On final approach, while flying at an altitude of 120 metres at 3 kilometres from the runway threshold, the aircraft was hit by an RPG, probably fired by rebels from a boat. The projectile hit the left main gear and a fire erupted. The aircraft landed safely and all 15 occupants escaped uninjured. It took about one hour for the only fire-fighting truck available at the airport to reach the plane as it had no fuel. Eventually, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair and cannibalized. One week later, some technicians of the Belarus operator returned to Mogadishu to recover pieces and material from the aircraft. On departure, another II-76 from the same operator was hit by a missile and destroyed.