Airplane hits Zebra in Serengeti. Crash Lands onto Kilimanjaro Airport trying to reach Zanzibar
The plane which got involved in an accident at the Kilimanjaro International Airport on Sunday, was flying from Serengeti National Park heading to Zanzibar when it suffered malfunction in its landing gear.
The Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia Aircraft, had 30 persons on board, including 26 passengers and 4 crew members.
They all got out of the fuselage safely. The plane is said to be 38 years old.
The plane was forced into belly land at the Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA), in Northern Tanzania after its gear failed to deploy due to what is being described as some mishaps suffered earlier in the Serengeti.
Posting on their Facebook Page, the Aviation Media claimed that the aircraft had earlier on hit a Zebra in the Serengeti National Park during take-off.
The Wildlife strike at Seronera, which probably occurred when the aircraft was at V1 (Takeoff Decision Speed), could have been the cause behind the malfunctioning of the landing gear.
Operating under Sindbard Air, of Zanzibar, the white Embraer 120 plane with registration 5H-HLL piloted by Captain Mbarouk, is reported to have experienced trouble in deploying its landing gear, compelling the pilots to execute bell landing against all odds.
Video clips that The Tanzania Times managed to get on Sunday afternoon of October 4, 2026 shows a white aircraft dragging itself on the belly along the runaway after what looked like an emergency landing at the Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA).
An official statement from the Tanzania Airports Authority (TAA) revealed that the plane had taken off from Seronera airstrip in Serengeti and was heading to Zanzibar but forced to make an emergency landing in Kilimanjaro.
The airport was forced into temporary closure as all normal activities at the terminal had to be suspended in order to address the situation at hand.
The incident reportedly occurred at between 11.00 am and 12.00 noon East African time, but the airport remained closed for five hours after the incident, only to resume operations from 16:30 hours.
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.