An event that can only be described as unusual, fortunately without any victims, took place on Tuesday afternoon (28th) at the Kikoboga aerodrome (HTMK), which serves the Mikumi National Park in central-eastern Tanzania.
An Embraer EMB-120ER Brasilia with registration 5H-MJH of Unity Air suffered the collapse of both main landing gear while landing, causing two blades of propeller No. 2 to break and end stopping aside of the runway.
Five hours later, the company sent another aircraft of the same model, registration 5H-FLM, to transport the stranded passengers. However, with them onboard and about to depart from Kikoboa, during takeoff, the aircraft suffered a nose gear collapse and collided with a nearby building with its right wing.
According to the local newspaper The Tanzania Times, the 30 passengers onboard did not suffer any injuries, nor did the two pilots or the two cabin crew members.
In this video, the 5H-MJH (the first one to crash) can be seen in the foreground, and in the background, the 5H-FLM:
Despite these two accidents, the Tanzanian national parks administration reported that operations at the Kikoboga aerodrome are now back to normal.
These almost simultaneous accidents will represent a significant impact on the operations of Unity Air, as the company has a total of five Embraer EMB-120 aircraft in its fleet, averaging 27 years old.
The aircraft with registration 5H-MJH, the first to crash, entered commercial service in June 2003 and was the youngest in the fleet. It previously operated for Vale mining company, and then for Piquiatuba Taxi Aereo, both in Brazil, before being acquired by Unity Air in July 2023.
The other, 5H-FLM, entered commercial service in November 1996 flying for SkyWest Airlines in the United States, was later transferred to Tanzania in 2017 to join Flightlink, then acquired by Sinbard Air, and in turn, leased to Unity Air in June 2023.
From its base in Zanzibar, Unity Air has been operating regular flights to Pemba, Dar Es Salaam, Dodoma, Arusha, and Serengeti since late 2018, as well as charter flights for the tourist market.
