A flight had to be grounded after the aircraft struck and killed a zebra while taking off. The Sindbard Air safari plane was carrying 26 passengers and four crew members when it hit the animal on the runway at Seronera Airstrip in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park at around 11.30am local time on Sunday. The flight was bound for Zanzibar, but the pilots changed course and headed for Kilimanjaro International Airport following the collision. A further problem emerged when the aircraft’s main landing gear could not be lowered, leaving the crew facing a difficult emergency landing. Footage of the incident showed smoke trailing from the Embraer EMB-120 as the underside of the aircraft scraped across runway 09 before the plane eventually came to a halt.
Emergency teams were quickly deployed to the scene. Despite the dramatic landing, all 30 people on board escaped unharmed, including the 26 passengers and four members of crew.
The aircraft, registered 5H-HLL, was substantially damaged during the incident.
The Tanzania Airports Authority said the plane had departed Seronera for Zanzibar before it was forced to land at Kilimanjaro after hitting an animal in the Serengeti.
The authority referred to the animal as an “ungulate”, a term covering hoofed mammals, while reports of the incident identified it as a zebra.
The pilots had travelled a considerable distance before making the emergency landing, with Kilimanjaro International Airport located roughly 270km, or 170 miles, east of Seronera as the crow flies.
The emergency also caused disruption at Kilimanjaro International Airport, where normal operations were suspended while crews dealt with the stricken aircraft.
The Tanzania Times reported that the airport remained closed for around five hours, with operations eventually restarting at about 4.30pm local time.
The Tanzania Civil Air Accident Investigation Branch has opened an investigation into what happened.
Investigators have yet to establish whether the collision with the zebra was directly responsible for the subsequent landing gear problem.
The Tanzania Times reported that the wildlife strike may have played a part in the malfunction, although an official cause has not yet been established.
The aircraft involved was an Embraer EMB-120ER Brasilia built in 1990, according to Aviation Safety Network records
Seronera Airstrip provides an important link for visitors travelling to and from the Serengeti National Park and is one of the main airstrips serving the reserve.
The airstrip is reportedly unfenced, with wildlife able to move through the surrounding area, which is an unusual challenge for aircraft operating in the heart of the national park.
Kilimanjaro International Airport is also an important gateway for Tanzania’s northern tourism circuit, providing access to some of the country’s best-known attractions, including the Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire and Lake Manyara, as well as Mount Kilimanjaro.
The Serengeti welcomes around 500,000 tourists each year.
