Video evidence of an aircraft crash in Pointe-Noire, Republic of Congo, on 21 March identifies the type as an Antonov An-12 freighter, and shows it rolled inverted moments before impact.

Images of the aircraft's last seconds show it diving steeply and rolling to starboard, crashing inverted. The video appears to show exhaust trails coming only from the two port engines.

The landing-gear of the four-engined aircraft - originally reported by local news sources as a twin-engined An-32 - is clearly deployed and the trailing edges of the wings appear to show extended flaps.

 An-12 crash

 An-12 crash

Pictures from the scene show the burnt-out remnants of the aircraft amid buildings in the suburbs of the city, with little remaining except the fin and tailplane.

Congo's National Civil Aviation Agency director general Michel Ambende is quoted as saying 23 people are known to have died when the aircraft crashed, apparently as it approached the city's airport.

 

Trans Air Congo is reportedly the operator of the aircraft. Flightglobal's ACAS database identifies Trans Air Congo's sole An-12 as being registered TN-AGK, with serial number 402006. It was built in 1963.

Source: Air Transport Intelligence news