Pilot Continues Flight After Gear Torn Off On Takeoff

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…

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 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.