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Tom
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Nigerian Air Force Plane Crash In Ondo Kills 25
BY AFRICAWIRE
The Nigerian Air Force says all 25 people aboard an ATR-42 aircraft died when it crashed near Igbokoda. The cause remains under investigation. 
A Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft crashed near Igbokoda, Ondo State, on Monday, October 5, killing all 25 people on board, the Air Force said.
The aircraft, identified as NAF 931, was travelling from Benin City to Lagos on what the Air Force described as a routine mission. Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo said air traffic controllers lost contact with it at about 9:13 a.m. local time. The wreckage was later located near a naval base in Igbokoda.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Air Force said there were five crew members and 20 passengers aboard, and that no one survived. It released the names of those on board, including military personnel and civilians.
The casualty figure changed after the crash. On Monday, the Aviation Ministry and the Presidency said 32 people were aboard—25 passengers and seven crew members. The Air Force’s later statement put the total at 25. The Air Force has not publicly explained the difference.
President Bola Tinubu ordered an investigation and declared three days of national mourning, directing that flags be flown at half-mast across the country. The Air Force said its Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, had also directed a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances of the crash.
As of Wednesday, October 7, authorities had not announced a cause. The aircraft type and reported route are confirmed; claims about what caused the crash remain unverified pending the investigation.
Tourist plane carrying 30 people hits and kills zebra before dramatic emergency landing
The pilot was crash landed sending sparks flying after the aircraft reportedly struck and killed a zebra during take-off
James Holt
A tourist plane carrying 30 people was filmed suffering a dramatic crash landing after striking a zebra on the runway.
The safari aircraft had struck the animal during takeoff in Tanzania, and was leaving from the Serengeti National Park at around 11.30am on Sunday (4 October).
The Sindbard Air flight was carrying 26 passengers and four crew members from the Seronera Airstrip when the collision happened, killing the zebra. 
Seronera Airstrip is one of the main airstrips serving the Serengeti National Park and handles local flights carrying visitors to and from the reserve, with around 500,000 tourists visiting every year.
According to reports, the plane was heading towards Zanzibar when it developed problems with its landing gear with the crew forced to divert to Kilimanjaro International Airport.
The aircraft was a 1990-built Embraer EMB-120ER Brasilia, registered 5H-HLL, Aviation Safety Network records indicate.
Video footage posted widely online, including YouTube and X, then showed the damaged aircraft sliding along the runway as smoke plumes billowed from the plane.
It is not known whether the zebra strike directly impacted the problem or not.
Emergency crews then rushed to the aircraft following the landing, but all 26 passengers and four crew members were able to disembark safely without injuries, according to the according to Aviation Herald.
The aircraft however was reported to have sustained 'substantial damage.'
Tanzanian aviation authorities have since launched an investigation into the incident, while operations at Kilimanjaro International Airport were temporarily suspended due to the incident.
It will examine what caused the collision and whether the hit on take-off was responsible for the landing gear issues, as per the Tanzania Times.
Local reports suggested the airport resumed normal operations around 4:30pm East Africa Time following the dramatic landing.
https://www.ladbible.com/news/world-news/tourist-plane-kills-zebra-emergency-landing-353433-20261007
NTSB Final Report: Stits Playmate
Pilot’s Improper Landing Flare... Resulted In A Hard Landing
Location: Green Cove Springs, Florida      Accident Number: ERA26LA267
Date & Time: July 9, 2026, 11:43 Local      Registration: N21JB
Aircraft: Stits Playmate                  Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Abnormal runway contact    Injuries:   1 Minor
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal
Analysis: The pilot reported that the purpose of the flight was to perform a traffic pattern circuit and a full stop landing.
During the landing, he misjudged his altitude above the runway and the airplane landed hard as he initiated the landing flare. The nose landing gear struck the turf runway, collapsed, and the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted.
The fuselage and left wing were substantially damaged during the accident sequence. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable Cause and Findings: The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be -- The pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
FMI: www.ntsb.gov
Today in History
91 Years ago today: On 7 October 1935 United Trip 4, Boeing 247D, struck a hill during a night-time approach to Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA. All 12 on board were killed.
| Date: | Monday 7 October 1935 |
| Time: | 02:17 |
| Type: | Boeing 247D |
| Owner/operator: | United Airlines |
| Registration: | NC13317 |
| MSN: | 1698 |
| Engine model: | P&W R-1340 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 12 / Occupants: 12 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed, written off |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Cheyenne, WY - Â United States of America |
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Salt Lake City, UT |
| Destination airport: | Cheyenne, WY |
| Investigating agency:Â | CAB |
| Confidence Rating: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Narrative:
United Trip 4, Boeing 247D, struck a hill during a night-time approach to Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA. All 12 on board were killed.
This flight, scheduled as Trip 4 was dispatched from Salt Lake City for Cheyenne at 12:07 a.m. The weather was practically clear. Normal radio contacts were made throughout the flight, the last one being a contact at 02:16 by the co-pilot with Cheyenne, giving the airplane's position as "Silver Crown", which is approximately 3 miles west of the point where the accident occurred. This was the last radio contact with the flight.
Investigation disclosed that the airplane, while on the direct radio course to the Cheyenne Airport and while flying in a normal, slightly descending path, had first collided with the ground just a few feet below the top pf a small knoll tearing out both engines and engine nacelles. From here it had rebounded and continued through the air for a distance of 1120 feet, where it came to rest.
It is the opinion of the Accident Board that the probable cause of this accident was an error on the part of the pilot judging his altitude or his distance from the airport or both.
