A Let L-410 operated by Tracep Congo Aviation on a military flight crashed on September 25, 2026, in Kenge, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing all 13 people aboard. The twin-turboprop was flying from Kikwit to Kinshasa when it came down in the southwestern province of Kwango.

Reports identified the aircraft as registration 9S-GUC and its destination as Kinshasa's N'Dolo Airport, the smaller of the capital's two airfields and the usual operating base for domestic and military traffic.

Kwango Vice Governor Remy Saki Bokinda told Reuters the aircraft developed a technical problem and attempted to land in Kenge before crashing into a residential plot. He said those aboard included General Likulia Bakumi, the Congolese army's auditor general, along with other military personnel and civilians.

Video posted to social media showed the wreckage of the aircraft burning on the ground.

Local reporting described the aircraft circling above Kenge as the pilot searched for a place to make an emergency landing. The maneuver indicates the crew retained some control before impact but could not reach a runway. Kenge lies roughly 200 km east of Kinshasa along the route from Kikwit, a corridor routinely flown by military and government turboprops in a country with limited paved road infrastructure.

Authorities reported no deaths or injuries to people on the ground, despite the aircraft coming down in a built-up area. The Congolese Press Agency placed the crash in Kenge's Manzau neighborhood. Local police chief Jean Pierre Negidi told the agency that inquiries were still underway to establish the circumstances and cause.

The country's aviation accident investigation authority is launching an investigation, according to a government statement cited by Reuters. No findings on the technical problem, weather conditions, or aircraft maintenance history have been released at this stage.

The Czech-built L-410 remains a workhorse of short-field operations across Central Africa, often flying in challenging conditions on routes with limited ground navigation and rescue infrastructure. The accident again exposes the operational risks facing military and government transport missions flown on aging regional types in the region.

With a full investigation now opening, attention will turn to the aircraft's condition, the operator's record, and the sequence that led the crew to attempt an off-airport landing short of Kinshasa.