SH36, Ndola Zambia, 2021

SH36, Ndola Zambia, 2021

Summary

On 24 October 2021, a Shorts SD360 intending to land at the international airport serving Ndola did so at the recently closed old international airport after visually navigating there in hazy conditions whilst unknowingly in contact with ATC at the very recently opened new airport which had taken the same name and radio frequencies as the old one. The Investigation found multiple aspects of the airport changeover and re-designation had been mismanaged, particularly but not only failure to publish new flight procedures for both airports and ensure that NOTAM communication of the changes internationally had been effective.

Description

On 24 October 2021, a Shorts SD360 (9S-GAP) was being operated by Malu Aviation on a non revenue international positioning flight from Goma DR Congo to Lanseria South Africa with three company engineers as passengers. It was intended that the first of two en-route stops would be made at Ndola but the crew were unaware that the civil airport had recently moved to a newly built airport 8 miles away which had kept the same name (Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport) and radio frequencies of the old international airport which had been re-designated for military use. Whilst working ATC at the new airport, the flight routed in hazy day VMC to the old airport as flight planned and landed there without clearance.

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