Written by defenceWeb –

28th Oct 2021

A Botswana Defence Force (BDF) C-130 Hercules has suffered minor damage to its wing after a collision on the ground with a LAM Mozambique Airlines aircraft at Pemba airport.

According to news agency Lusa, the incident happened on Tuesday 27 October. Linhas Aereas de Mocambique (LAM) said its aircraft was preparing for takeoff when its wingtip hit the other aircraft.

Maputo-bound passengers were forced to disembark and wait for another aircraft to transport them to their destination.

The LAM aircraft involved in the incident awaits a decision by authorities regarding its airworthiness, Lusa reported.

LAM said the incident took place during “the movement to access the runway”, in which the LAM plane “touched the end of its wing with the end of another aircraft, which caused the interruption of the operation”.

LAM has two Boeing 737s in service. One was involved in a runway excursion during landing at Quelimane airport in February this year.

The BDF C-130 (OM2) is one of three Hercules in service with the BDF Air Wing, although one is in storage. The aircraft was ferrying troops and equipment to Mozambique as part of Botswana’s contribution to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mission in Mozambique that is combating insurgents in Cabo Delgado province.

Botswana sent its first troops to Mozambique in July.