Pilot Continues Flight After Gear Torn Off On Takeoff

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Key Takeaways:

  • A Renegade Air Dash-8 made a successful belly landing at Malakal airport with 38 passengers and crew aboard.
  • The aircraft sustained damage to its landing gear, which was mostly torn off after striking a dyke during takeoff from Maban in South Sudan.
  • The crew chose to fly to Malakal, an international airport, to burn fuel and perform the emergency landing.
  • All 38 people on board were evacuated safely from the plane with no serious injuries reported.
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A Renegade Air Dash-8 with 38 passengers and crew aboard made a successful belly landing after the gear was mostly torn off when it struck a dyke on takeoff from Maban in South Sudan. With portions of the long gear struts dangling from the nacelles, the aircraft continued to Malakal. The plane went into a holding pattern at Malakal to burn off fuel, and all 38 people were evacuated from the plane when it finished its slide.

Apparently the gear was the only thing damaged in the collision with the dyke so the crew likely reasoned they were better off to try the belly landing at Malakal, which is an international airport with full services. Maban is a gravel strip in a rural area. There were no serious injuries reported.

Russ Niles

Russ Niles is Editor-in-Chief of AVweb. He has been a pilot for 30 years and joined AVweb 22 years ago. He and his wife Marni live in southern British Columbia where they also operate a small winery.
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