Panic as UN Plane with 22 on Board Crash-Lands in Mogadishu

A United Nations aircraft carrying 22 people crash-landed at Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu on Tuesday afternoon due to a mechanical malfunction involving its front landing gear.

Authorities confirmed that a “small fire” broke out after the aircraft touched down but was quickly extinguished. Fortunately, no injuries were reported among the passengers and crew during the incident, which occurred around 2 p.m. local time.

The airport, managed by Turkish company Favori LLC, temporarily closed its taxiway to facilitate emergency response efforts and aircraft recovery.

The Somali Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) confirmed that the De Havilland Dash 8 (DH8D) aircraft, operated by the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS), was en route to Baidoa when it encountered technical difficulties. The pilot opted to return to Mogadishu, where an emergency landing was executed.

“Thankfully, there were no fatalities or serious injuries. All individuals were safely evacuated and provided with medical checks and support on site,” Favori LLC stated.

SCAA further noted that the aircraft departed Mogadishu at 11:16 a.m. but was forced to return, eventually executing a belly landing at 1:28 p.m. The damage to the aircraft was described as minimal.

This incident comes just two weeks after a tragic plane crash southwest of Mogadishu that claimed the lives of five Kenyans. The ill-fated aircraft, a DHC-5D Buffalo registered as 5Y-RBA, was operated by Trident Aviation Limited and government agencies. It crashed on March 22 at 5:43 p.m. local time after delivering supplies to African Union forces.

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Panic as UN Plane with 22 on Board Crash-Lands in Mogadishu