Aviation News – Lieutenant-General Lucien-René Likulia Bakumi, the auditor-general of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) attached to the High Military Court, has died following a fatal aircraft crash on Friday, September 25, in Kenge, the capital of Kwango province. The tragedy occurred during a domestic transit flight, claiming the lives of key high-ranking military figures aboard.
According to Kwango Vice-Governor Rémy Saki Mupinda, the small passenger aircraft—a Let L-410UVP registered as 9S-GUC and operated by TRACEP-Congo Aviation—was completing a return leg to Kinshasa from Kikwit. The flight encountered fatal complications en route, terminating abruptly in Kenge. Local authorities confirmed the incident after securing the immediate crash site.
The aircraft contained a high-level military delegation including Lieutenant-General Likulia Bakumi, a major, a captain, several additional military personnel, and civilians. While attempting an emergency landing after experiencing mid-air mechanical failure, the twin-engine turboprop crashed directly into a residential plot. Despite the impact occurring within a built-up area, local officials confirmed no residents on the ground suffered injuries.
The operational sequence points toward severe operational distress during flight. Crew members identified a critical malfunction while airborne and initiated emergency landing procedures to save the aircraft. Post-crash recoveries revealed that multiple victims sustained severe burns, while search teams located the pilot’s body outside the main fuselage.
“The flight passenger manifest confirms that Lieutenant-General Lucien-René Likulia Bakumi was on board alongside officers and civilians,” stated Kwango Vice-Governor Rémy Saki Mupinda. “The crew attempted to find a safe landing location after identifying a problem on board, but the aircraft ultimately crashed into a plot without causing casualties among local residents.”
This tragic accident underscores the ongoing regional challenges regarding flight safety and infrastructure reliability in domestic aviation routes across the country. Moving forward, civil aviation authorities and military inspectors face increased pressure to enforce rigorous maintenance checks and airworthiness audits on regional charter operations. Ensuring stringent oversight will prove essential to preventing similar loss of life on internal flight corridors.
The tragic crash of the TRACEP-Congo Aviation Let L-410UVP near Kenge has resulted in a devastating loss for the FARDC leadership. The death of Lieutenant-General Lucien-René Likulia Bakumi marks a significant blow to the nation’s military judicial system. Official investigative bodies will now analyze the retrieved passenger manifest and wreckage to establish the definitive mechanical cause of the disaster.