LAM Mozambique Plane Crash: Identification Process Begins

LAM Mozambique Airlines Flight 470, an Embraer E190 with registration number C9-EMC, which took off from Maputo International Airport, Mozambique on November 29, 2013 crashed into the Bwabwata National Park in Namibia en route to Quatro de Fevereiro Airport, in Angola. The aircraft which departed Maputo at 11:26am was due to arrive at its destination in under three hours but failed to do so. The wreckage of the aircraft was found the following day on 30 November 2013 at the Bwabwata National Park in northern Namibia, halfway between its departure and scheduled arrival airport. All 33 passengers, including 6 crew members on board the flight were killed. Weather was reported to be poor at the time of the accident with heavy rain falls in the vicinity of the flight path.

The aircraft involved in the accident was built in October 2012 and was delivered to LAM Mozambique Airlines in November 2012. Powered by two General Electric CF34-10E engines, the aircraft had since accumulated 2905 flight hours in 1877 flight cycles. It is worthy of note that this recent crash was the first fatal accident for the airline since 1970, and the deadliest for a Mozambican airline since the Tupolev Tu-134A-3 aircraft carrying Mozambican President Samora Machel crashed in 1986.

Meanwhile, the airline has commenced DNA identification procedures for the bodies of those who were killed in the crash. A statement issued by the carrier said: “LAM’s family assistance team again called on families of the deceased to discuss and address their needs and to update them on the procedures for collecting ante-mortem information, including DNA samples so that they are prepared for when these are requested by the Namibian authorities who are responsible for identifying the remains of the deceased,” adding that: “LAM fully appreciates the families’ desire to be able to pay their respects to their loved ones and arrange their funerals.”

LAM has sent a team of experts and also asked Kenyon International, specialists in disaster recover, to deploy to Namibia. They are in that country to avail themselves and their assets to the Namibian authorities to support the accident investigation and to assist with the identification and repatriation of the deceased’s remains and their personal belongings.  

With regards to the accident investigation; LAM noted that: “It is crucial that the investigators are given the time and space to do their work without interference or prejudice. Air accidents are complex and require patience, expertise in several disciplines and attention to detail in order to discover what happened and why.  Speculation on possible causes is unhelpful and could be seen as an attempt to unfairly influence or pre-empt the investigation.