The 2003 Congo air disaster occurred on 8 May 2003, when a cargo door of an Ilyushin Il-76 owned by Ukrainian Cargo Airways accidentally opened mid-flight while the aircraft was flying over Mbuji-Mayi with more than 160 people on board. The flight was conducting a civilian transport from Kinshasa in the southwest of the country to Lubumbashi in the southeast of the country. 17 people were confirmed dead by Congolese Government, while officials estimated that 60 may have lost their lives. Survivors even claimed a higher number of fatalities, claiming that as many as 200 people were sucked out to their deaths.
Incident
The incident occurred above the city of Mbuji-Mayi on the night of 8 May 2003. The aircraft was an Ilyushin Il-76 registered as UR-UCB and was operated by Ukrainian Cargo Airways, a Ukrainian state-owned charter airline company based in Kiev. The two-hour flight was chartered by the military to transport soldiers and their families to their home in Lubumbashi, which was located on the south of the country in Haut-Katanga Province. Lubumbashi is a home to a large military base in Congo. At the time, the cargo compartment was full of people; many were sleeping in the middle section and near the cargo door. The aircraft had no proper seating, and there were only folding chairs in the cabin with people "crammed onto benches and on the floor". About forty-five minutes after takeoff from Kinshasha, at an altitude of 10,000 ft, the cargo door of the Ilyushin Il-76 suddenly opened, sucking out many passengers from the aircraft. Several people were clinging to ropes, bags and netting on the interior wall of the plane. Survivors described the scene as chaotic, with people screaming and flying out of the open door. Several people who were sleeping at the time were awakened by other passengers' screams. They also claimed that the plane suddenly tilted to the left and right, causing more people to sucked out from the plane. Several people that had clung onto ropes lost their grips and sucked out to their deaths. A secured truck on the cargo hold may have saved many lives as it may have acted like a barrier. Survivors described the commotion:
"I was just next to the door and I had the chance to grab onto a ladder just before the door let loose,"
"I saw a soldier cradling a baby and a mother with a baby near the door suddenly just being wrenched into the darkness,"
The aircraft managed to return to Kinshasha after the incident. The Congolese Government ordered an immediate search for the passengers who had been sucked out of the aircraft. Survivors claimed that many people had disappeared after the incident, and stated that as many as 200 people, including women and children, were killed in the incident. Ukraine's Defence Ministry spokesman Konstantin Khyvrenko stated that no one was hurt in the accident, however survivors stated that many were injured due to flying baggage and cargo. At least 2 pregnant women had miscarriages due to shock. The Government only confirmed the deaths of 17 people, while officials estimated that as many as 60 may have been killed in the incident, while airport officials placed the number of fatalities on 129 people. Aviation officials and western diplomats in Congo estimated that at least 170 people were killed in the incident. Out of 160+ people on the cargo compartment, only around 40 people returned to the airport.
Investigation
An investigation was ordered immediately after the disaster. Information Minister Kikaya Bin Karubi told Reuters that the air force and army were investigating to determine whether the accident was the result of human error or of a mechanical problem. A sergeant, identified as Sergeant Kabmba Kashala, said the aircraft had taken off with the door improperly fastened. He stated that the door flung open after three failed attempts to fully shut it mid-flight. The pilot suggested the door had opened either after one of the passengers tinkered with its controls, or because of a computer glitch. He stated that a passenger could have been touching the button for special opening device.
