A bizarre situation occurred at Kikoboga Airstrip, Tanzania, on November 28th. Within hours, two Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia turboprops operated by Unity Air Zanzibar had accidents at the site, with the landing gears collapsing.
At around 3:40 am, the EMB 120 registration 5H-MJH had a technical problem during landing at the airstrip, located in Mikumi National Park. The aircraft stopped in an area off the runway, with the landing gear and right wing affected. There were no serious injuries among the 33 occupants.
Later, at 9:30 pm (local time), another Brasilia turboprop, registration 5H-FLM, associated with Sindbard Air but also operated by Unity Air, collided with a building on the same runway and had its nose landing gear collapsed.
Two Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia turboprops crashed on an airstrip in Tanzania every few hours on November 28. There were no injuries. pic.twitter.com/XaQZUHET2z
— Air Data News (@airwayaviation) November 30, 2023
As in the first accident, the 30 passengers and four crew were unharmed. Video footage shows the two damaged aircraft a few tens of meters away from each other.
The Brasilia turboprop is a regional aircraft that was produced by Embraer between 1983 and 2001, with 357 units completed. The model was widely used on commuter flights in the United States, but was later replaced by larger turboprops and regional jets.
The EMB 120 registration 5H-MJH was completed in 2001 and is a QC version, which can be quickly converted for cargo transport. It flew in Brazil until July, when it was acquired by Unity Air Zanzibar.
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The 5H-FLM aircraft is older, having entered service in 1996 in the United States with SkyWest Airlines. The twin-engine plane began flying in Tanzania in 2017.
