Seventeen people died when a small aircraft crashed at Kenge in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Friday, 25 September, according to the deputy governor of Kwango province. The revised toll comprises 16 adults and a baby; earlier reports, including the account supplied, gave a lower figure.
The aircraft was a Let L-410 operated by Tracep Congo Aviation, registered 9S-GUC, according to a Congolese transport ministry adviser cited by the national news agency. It was travelling from Kikwit to Kinshasa when it crashed at Kenge.
Among those killed were Lieutenant General Joseph Mutombo Katalayi Tiende, president of the High Military Court, and Lieutenant General Lucien-René Likulia Bakumi, the armed forces’ auditor general. Both were returning from an official mission in Kikwit, the Congolese military said.
Local officials reported that the aircraft encountered a problem and that its crew appeared to be looking for a place to land. The cause has not been established. Investigators were sent to Kenge to examine the wreckage.
Breaking – L-410 crash on DR Congo. All 13 aboard died.
Flight had diverted to Kenge due to technical difficulties enroute but crashed at Kenge and burst into fire.
Amongst the victims were the president of the military high court and other military and civilian personnel.…
— Francisco Cunha – ?? Aviation et al (@OnDisasters) September 25, 2026