359:, at an altitude of 10,000 feet (3,000 m), the cargo door of the Ilyushin Il-76 suddenly opened, blowing many passengers out of the aircraft. Several people were clinging to ropes, bags and netting on the interior wall of the plane. Survivors described the scene as chaotic, with passengers screaming and flying out of the open door. Several people who had been sleeping were awakened by other passengers' screams. They also claimed that the plane suddenly tilted to the left and right, causing more people to be ejected. Several people who had clung onto ropes lost their grips and were blown out to their deaths. A secured truck on the cargo hold may have saved many lives as it may have acted as a barrier.
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resulting from shock. The government only confirmed the deaths of 17 people, while officials estimated that as many as 60 may have been killed and airport officials placed the number of fatalities at 129. Aviation officials and western diplomats in Congo estimated that at least 170 people were killed
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The aircraft managed to return to
Kinshasa after the incident. The Congolese government ordered an immediate search for the passengers who had been sucked out of the aircraft. Survivors claimed that many people had disappeared after the incident, and stated that as many as 200 people, including women
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were investigating to determine whether the accident was the result of human error or a mechanical problem. Sergeant Kabmba
Kashala said that the aircraft had taken off with the door improperly fastened and that the door had flung open after three failed attempts to fully shut it mid-flight. The
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One survivor described the commotion: "I was just next to the door and I had the chance to grab onto a ladder just before the door let loose." Another said, "I saw a soldier cradling a baby and a mother with a baby near the door suddenly just being wrenched into the darkness."
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and children, were killed in the incident. Ukrainian defence ministry spokesman
Konstantin Khyvrenko stated that no one was hurt in the accident, but survivors stated that many were injured by flying baggage and cargo. At least two pregnant women experienced
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352:. The cargo compartment was full of passengers; many were sleeping in the middle section and near the cargo door. The aircraft had no proper seating, and there were only folding chairs in the cabin, with people "crammed onto benches and on the floor."
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pilot suggested that the door had opened either after one of the passengers tinkered with its controls, or because of a computer glitch. He stated that a passenger could have been "touching the button for special opening device".
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The incident occurred above the city of Mbuji-Mayi on the night of 8 May 2003. The aircraft was an
Ilyushin Il-76 registered as UR-UCB and was operated by Ukrainian Cargo Airways, a Ukrainian state-owned
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in the incident. Of the more than 160 passengers in the cargo compartment, only about 40% returned to the airport.
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An investigation was ordered immediately after the disaster. Information minister Kikaya Bin Karubi told
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Aviation accidents and incidents in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Belgian Congo, and Zaire
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344:. The two-hour flight was chartered by the military to transport soldiers and their families to
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Aviation accidents and incidents in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo
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Airliner accidents and incidents caused by in-flight structural failure
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Airliner accidents and incidents involving in-flight depressurization
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following the opening of the cargo door in mid-air while flying over
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315:. The aircraft was conducting a civilian transport flight from
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The aircraft involved in the accident, photographed in 2007
513:"Death Toll Is Still Unclear in Air Disaster Over Congo"
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2003 disasters in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo
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Accidents and incidents involving the
Ilyushin Il-76
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1094:Democratic Republic of the Congo–Ukraine relations
437:"Passengers sucked out as doors fall off plane"
1002:Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation Fokker 50 crash
908:Lignes AĂ©riennes Congolaises Boeing 727 crash
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66:"2003 Ukrainian Cargo Airways Il-76 accident"
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1069:2003 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
712:Ukrainian-Mediterranean Airlines Flight 4230
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135:2003 Ukrainian Cargo Airways Il-76 accident
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171:following opening of cargo door mid-flight
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117:Learn how and when to remove this message
1059:Aviation accidents and incidents in 2003
411:"200 feared dead in Congo air disaster"
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487:"Survivors tell of Congo plane horror"
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355:About 45 minutes after takeoff from
55:adding citations to reliable sources
994:Katanga Express Gulfstream IV crash
247:, Democratic Republic of the Congo
232:, Democratic Republic of the Congo
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1010:Busy Bee Congo Dornier 228 crash
608:Aviation accidents and incidents
511:Sengupta, Somini (11 May 2003).
462:"Congo air disaster toll rising"
241:Lubumbashi International Airport
185:Democratic Republic of the Congo
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782:Polish Air Force Mil Mi-8 crash
772:Baghdad DHL attempted shootdown
42:needs additional citations for
943:Africa One Antonov An-26 crash
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986:Hewa Bora Airways Flight 952
951:Hewa Bora Airways Flight 122
752:Tropical Airways Flight 1301
702:Boeing 727-223 disappearance
978:Georgian Airways Flight 834
632:Turkish Airlines Flight 634
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273:60 (officials estimation)
271:17 (Government officials)
1074:May 2003 events in Africa
935:Free Airlines L-410 crash
881:Sabena Douglas C-47 crash
873:Sabena Douglas DC-4 crash
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662:Iran Ilyushin Il-76 crash
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1029:MONUSCO helicopter crash
792:FedEx Express Flight 647
742:Sudan Airways Flight 139
275:129 (airport officials)
672:Air Algérie Flight 6289
642:Air Midwest Flight 5481
571:Aviation Safety Network
309:explosive decompression
305:Ukrainian Cargo Airways
210:Ukrainian Cargo Airways
169:Explosive decompression
18:2003 Congo air disaster
970:Filair Let L-410 crash
762:Colgan Air Flight 9446
722:QantasLink Flight 1737
466:The New Zealand Herald
129:2003 aviation accident
350:Haut-Katanga Province
732:Brit Air Flight 5672
682:Air China Flight 112
652:TANS PerĂş Flight 222
567:Accident Description
325:Congolese government
51:improve this article
820:► 2004
814:2002 ◄
386:Congolese Air Force
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927:Congo air disaster
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692:Congo air disaster
517:The New York Times
299:On 8 May 2003, an
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62:Find sources:
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40:This article
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1031:(March 2022)
1004:(March 2013)
980:(April 2011)
953:(April 2008)
546:. Retrieved
543:The Guardian
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369:miscarriages
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303:operated by
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217:Registration
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49:Please help
44:verification
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988:(July 2011)
937:(June 2007)
293:At least 40
237:Destination
1048:Categories
929:(May 2003)
875:(May 1948)
397:References
346:Lubumbashi
321:Lubumbashi
313:Mbuji-Mayi
268:Fatalities
255:160 – 350+
252:Passengers
245:Lubumbashi
181:Mbuji-Mayi
160:8 May 2003
77:newspapers
548:8 January
522:8 January
496:8 January
471:8 January
446:8 January
420:8 January
384:that the
290:Survivors
491:BBC News
415:SBS News
357:Kinshasa
331:Incident
317:Kinshasa
282:Injuries
230:Kinshasa
206:Operator
191:Aircraft
152:Accident
107:May 2024
612: (
610:in 2003
382:Reuters
285:Unknown
165:Summary
91:scholar
798:Dec 25
788:Dec 18
768:Nov 22
758:Aug 26
748:Aug 24
728:Jun 22
718:May 29
708:May 26
698:May 25
678:Mar 15
658:Feb 19
221:UR-UCB
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1021:2020s
962:2010s
919:2000s
892:1990s
865:1940s
778:Dec 4
738:Jul 8
688:May 8
668:Mar 6
648:Jan 9
638:Jan 8
628:Jan 8
179:Over
98:JSTOR
84:books
614:2003
550:2017
524:2017
498:2017
473:2017
448:2017
422:2017
390:Army
388:and
342:Kyiv
260:Crew
176:Site
157:Date
70:news
319:to
53:by
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