Created Sunday, Jan 29th 2023 23:35Z, last updated Tuesday, Feb 7th 2023 19:19Z
A CAA Compagnie Africaine Aviation Airbus A320-200, registration 9S-ABM performing flight BU-415 from Mbuji Mayi to Kinshasa N'Djili (DR Congo), departed Mbuji Mayi's runway 34 when most of the left hand elevator separated from the aircraft. The aircraft climbed out, the captain decided to continue the flight to Kinshasa requesting only right hand turns, climbed to FL300 enroute, performed a low pass at Kinshasa to have the aircraft assessed from the ground and subsequently, again using right hand turns only, positioned for another approach and landing on Kinshasa's runway 24 about 90 minutes after departure.
The separated part of the Elevator was recovered from the aerodrome in Mbuji Mayi.
According to local sources there was no collision or abnormal contact of the aircraft, it just looks like a structural failure as result of fatigue.
Photographic evidence The Aviation Herald received on Feb 7th 2023 suggests however, that some sort of impact damage must have triggered the elevator separation.
The aircraft's left hand horizontal stabilizer seen later:
The aircraft's left remaining elevator seen in Kinshasa:
The aircraft's separated part of elevator recovered in Mbuji Mayi:
