A Buff Air Services Fokker 50, registration 5Y-WFC performing a flight from Mogadishu to Bardere (Somalia) with 5 crew and 3,974kg of humanitarian food aid, had safely landed on on Bardere's runway 15, turned around to backtrack the runway and was about to turn off the runway towards the apron when the aircraft suffered the collapse of the right hand main gear while moving at about 10 knots at about 10:30L (07:30Z), the right wing tip as well as the right hand propeller contacted the ground as result. No serious injuries are being reported.
Local sources reported the right hand tyres may have deflated resulting in the gear collapse.
Gedo Administration reported the aircraft arrived from Mogadishu. An investigation into the accident has been opened.
Bardere Airfield (Gedo province) is located at Coordinates N2.330 E42.3119 and features a compacted sand runway 15/33 of 1300 meters/4265 feet length.
On Jul 14th 2020 The Aviation Herald received a preliminary report by Somalia's Aircraft Accident Investigation Branch (SAAIB) reporting the right main gear collapsed due to metal fatigue, as result the aircraft received additional damage to the right wing, right nose wheel, all right hand propeller blades and the aircraft belly.
The aircraft was flown by a captain (60, ATPL, 18,000 hours total, 8,500 hours on type) and a first officer (34, CPL, 3,800 hours total). The aircraft had accumulated 42,724 flight hours. The aircraft had received a valid certificate of airworthiness on Nov 4th 2019 valid through Nov 4th 2020.
The investigator in charge wrote regarding weather: "Satellite weather information received from the Somalia meteorological station at 0730Z, indicated scattered low clouds at 2300 feet, visibility of more than 10 km and a wind direction from 2200 south west at a wind speed of 10 kts (220/10kts)." and released following preliminary conclusion:
The incident was caused due to the failure and collapse of the right hand side of the main landing gear due to metal fatigue, in turn caused by cyclic loads.
The contributory factors were the lack of lubrication on the bearing, wear and tear on the bearing and crack initiation on the connecting arm attachment point.