Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of Congo — November 17, 2025
An AirJet Angola Embraer ERJ-145LR (registration D2-AJB) was destroyed by fire after a landing accident at Kolwezi Airport on Monday morning. The aircraft was carrying DRC Minister of Mines Louis Watum Kabamba and a delegation from the Ministry of Mines traveling to inspect the site of a deadly mine accident that had occurred two days earlier.
Democratic Republic of Congo, Monday 17 November 2025. Embraer ERJ-145LR, suffered a runway excurcion accident during landing Kolwezi..
3 days 49 workers lost their lives in a reported bridge collapse due to rains. The aircraft carried the country’s Minister of Mines and a delegation of the Ministry to visit the collap
All 29 Aboard Survive as Aircraft Burns
All 26 passengers and 3 crew members evacuated safely before fire consumed the aircraft. Operating as flight MBC-100 from Lubumbashi, the aircraft landed on runway 29 but touched down before the displaced runway threshold, causing the main landing gear to collapse.
The aircraft came to rest off the runway on its belly, and the tail section ignited shortly after. Emergency responders arrived quickly, but the aircraft was ultimately completely burned down despite the successful evacuation.
Mission Linked to Kalando Mine Tragedy
The ministerial delegation was traveling to monitor the aftermath of an accident at the Kalando Mine near Kolwezi, where more than 40 workers lost their lives on November 15, 2025, in a bridge collapse during heavy rains.
Updated reports indicate the death toll has risen to 49. The collapse occurred when artisanal miners rushed across a makeshift structure used to cross a flooded trench. According to the Service for Assistance and Supervision of Artisanal and Small-scale Mining, mass panic—possibly triggered by gunshots fired by military personnel securing the site—led to the disaster.
Aircraft Details
Accident Aircraft Specifications:
- Model: Embraer ERJ-145LR
- Registration: D2-AJB
- Manufacturer Serial Number (MSN): 456
- Test Registration: PT-SVB
- Engines: 2 × Rolls-Royce AE3007A1/1
- Age: Approximately 24.4 years
- Operator: AirJet Angola (chartered for government use)
The aircraft first flew under its Brazilian test registration and has served multiple operators throughout its operational life.
Investigation Underway
Kolwezi Airport features runway 11/29, with a length of 2,410 meters (7,900 feet), primarily serving the local copper mining industry. Aviation authorities have opened a formal investigation into the landing accident.
Key areas of focus include:
- Circumstances leading to touchdown before the displaced threshold
- Analysis of flight data and cockpit voice recorders
- Crew decision-making during approach and landing
- Maintenance history of the aircraft
- Weather conditions and runway surface state
- Airport emergency response actions
The Embraer ERJ-145 family is widely used across Africa for regional commercial and government operations and maintains a strong global safety record.
Regional Context
This aviation accident comes amid growing concern over safety and infrastructure in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The mining accident at Kalando, which the delegation was traveling to assess, has highlighted the hazardous conditions faced by artisanal miners in the region’s copper and cobalt sector.
The DRC remains the world’s largest producer of cobalt, a key mineral used in lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, with thousands of artisanal miners working in informal and often dangerous environments.
Conclusion
While the landing accident in Kolwezi resulted in the total loss of the aircraft, the successful evacuation of all 29 people aboard—including a senior government minister—prevented a far greater tragedy. Officials have confirmed that more detailed findings from the aviation safety investigation will be released as the inquiry continues.
