An-12 crash in the Congo
27 / 08 / 2009
A CARGO aircraft has crashed into a cemetery in the Congo killing the five Ukrainian crew members and one Congolese passenger.
The Antonov 12, part of the Aeroflot Business fleet, crashed near the capital of Brazzaville
“There are six dead, including five Ukrainians and a Congolese, who was certainly a clandestine passenger,” said transport minister, Emile Ouosso, after visiting the crash site, after it became apparent that the passenger was not listed on the manifest.
The Congolese government banned passengers from flying in Antonovs in 2007 to prevent people from regularly flying in cargo aircraft.
So far, there has been no explanation for what caused the crash, although reports say that the rear, or possible a wing, of the An-12 was on fire and that the aircraft broke apart before it crashed.
It had taken off from the southern city of Pointe Noire with a cargo of drinks and three vehicles.