The flight should have been routine: a short hop from Kikwit back to Kinshasa for a delegation returning from an official mission. Instead, on the afternoon of Friday 25 September, a Let L-410 Turbolet came down on a residential plot in Kenge, in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Kwango province, and nobody on board survived.
Among the dead were two of the most senior figures in Congo's military justice system: Lieutenant General Joseph Mutombo Katalayi Tiende, president of the High Military Court, and Lieutenant General Lucien-René Likulia Bakumi, auditor general of the armed forces (FARDC). In a single afternoon, the country lost the head of its top military court and its chief military prosecutor.
Officials say the aircraft developed a technical problem en route and the crew tried to put it down at Kenge. What exactly failed is not yet known.
Quick Facts
- Date: Friday 25 September 2026, afternoon local time
- Aircraft: Let L-410 Turbolet, a twin-turboprop commuter, reported as registration 9S-GUC
- Operator: Tracep Congo Aviation
- Route: Kikwit to Kinshasa, crashed while attempting to land at Kenge
- Location: Kenge, Kwango province, about 200 km east of Kinshasa
- Fatalities: All on board; reported tolls range from 13 to 17
- Notable victims: Lt Gen Joseph Mutombo Katalayi Tiende (High Military Court) and Lt Gen Lucien-René Likulia Bakumi (FARDC auditor general)
- Investigation: Opened by Congo's civil aviation accident investigators; cause unknown
A Diversion That Never Made It
According to Kwango's vice-governor, Rémy Saki, the aircraft experienced a technical problem on the way from Kikwit to Kinshasa, and the crew attempted an emergency landing at Kenge. The L-410 crashed short of that, onto a residential plot in the town. Local reports say nobody on the ground was hurt.
Congolese outlet Oeil d'Afrique reports that the aircraft left Kikwit at 13:50 and crashed at around 14:05 local time. That timing has not yet been confirmed by the investigators, and the flight recorder had not been recovered by Friday evening.
The aircraft was operated by Tracep Congo Aviation, a Congolese charter company, and was carrying a military delegation plus crew. Registration details published by aviation trackers point to 9S-GUC.
The first reports reached aviation watchers on social media within hours. Details such as the diversion to Kenge and the fire after impact appeared early, and were later matched by statements from Congolese officials.
How Many Died? The Numbers Still Disagree
The death toll is still unsettled. Reuters and aviation outlets including AeroTime and aeroTELEGRAPH reported 13 dead. The Associated Press reported 14, quoting the army spokesman. Oeil d'Afrique, citing the vice-governor, put it at 17: sixteen adults and a baby. Afterburner reports the range until the investigators publish a final figure.
The chairman of Congo's Civil Aviation Authority, Tryphon Kin-Kiey Mulumba, told the AP that the cause of the crash is unknown. Congo's accident investigation bureau has opened a probe, and specialist teams were sent from Kinshasa to the site.
Investigators now have to find out what went wrong between Kikwit and Kenge. For Congo's armed forces, the more immediate problem is replacing the two officers at the top of military justice, in the middle of a war in the east against the Rwanda-backed M23.
Sources: Associated Press, Reuters, FlightGlobal, aeroTELEGRAPH, Oeil d'Afrique, Actualite.cd, Netic News, Wikipedia (Let L-410 Turbolet)
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