A McDonnell Douglas DC-9 aircraft operated by local carrier Hewa Bora Airways has crashed into a residential area in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo .

The aircraft came down in the town of Goma which is located near the border with Rwanda.

Goma DC-9 crash

Image: PA Photos

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Unconfirmed reports, citing a provincial governor, state that the aircraft crashed after take-off. One report suggests 78 fatalities from the accident.

Goma map

Goma has a single runway orientated north-south, around 2,000m (6,560ft) in length, with residential zones located almost immediately beyond the threshold of the southern end.

Flight’s ACAS database lists only one DC-9 in service with Hewa Bora, a 31-year old DC-9-50.

Earlier this month regulators included all Hewa Bora Airways operations on the European Commission’s airline blacklist. The carrier had already been subject to individual airframe restrictions for months.


Source: flightglobal.com's sister premium news site Air Transport Intelligence news 

Source: FlightGlobal.com