Aircraft Incident in Tanzania. Plane forced to belly land at the Kilimanjaro International Airport
There are reports that an unmarked Embraer 120 Aircraft was forced into performing an emergency gear-up landing at the Kilimanjaro International Airport in Northern Tanzania.
Video clips that The Tanzania Times managed to get on Sunday afternoon of October 4, 2026, shows a white aircraft dragging itself on its belly, along the terminal runway after what looked like an emergency landing at the Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA).
The airplane bears Tanzanian registration.
The air terminal sits between Arusha and Kilimanjaro regions in the Tanzania’s Northern tourism circuit.
The aircraft accident occurred less than 50 kilometers from Mount Kilimanjaro and about 45 kilometers to Arusha City.
It is still not known who operates the plane, how many people were on board or what really happened to the aircraft forcing it to take such aviation risk.
The Embraer 120 Aircraft with registration 5H-HLL is reported to have experienced trouble in deploying its landing gear, compelling the pilots to perform the emergency bell landing against all odds.
The incident occurred at between 10.00 am and 12.00 noon East African time.
The Tanzania Civil Air Accident Investigation branch (TCAAIB) has launched a probe towards the incident and according to information, they may release the reports later.
So far there have been no reports of casualties.
At the moment though, there are many international guests arriving in Northern Tanzania to attend various meetings in Arusha City.
The Kilimanjaro Airport is also the gateway to tourist attractions like Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire, Lake Manyara and Mount Kilimanjaro itself.
Aircraft accidents have been on the increase of late.