Pruden Mukailai, a soldier attached to the Rapid Reaction Police Unit of the Congolese authorities, was on the evening of May 8, 2003, local time, and his comrades were flying to Lubumbashi to change defenses.
The mission lasted a long time, so almost everyone brought their families with them, and the plane that could only carry 150 people was full of 169 people.
Despite the deafening sound of the plane's roaring engines, everyone was smiling and looking forward to the new life that was about to begin.
Gradually, the tired soldiers fell asleep.
I don't know how long later, a cold wind woke up the sleeping Pruden Mukailai, who was surprised to find that there were more than half of the passengers in the cabin, and the plane was still in the air!
What's going on here? Are passengers really "bizarrely" missing?
First, the war-torn Congo, the cheap Il-76
The Democratic Republic of the Congo, also known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is a small country located in Central Africa.
Congo is a vast country, a vast and fertile land, extremely rich in water and mineral resources, and unique natural conditions, but it is also the most typical area of security and conflict in Africa.
In Central Africa, where the Congo is located, almost all countries have been inscribed on the United Nations List of the World's Least Developed Countries.
The delicate geopolitical relationships between countries, coupled with the rampant infectious diseases and food crises, have led to an unusually complex security factor affecting the region.
The war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is known as the "Powder Keg of Africa".
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Civil War of 1998-2003, known as the "African World War", was rare in Africa in terms of the number of participating countries and the scale of investment.
The long-standing armed conflict on the ground and the threat of violence against civilians have contributed to the continued instability and instability in the region, and the displacement of a large number of civilians has been unspeakably painful.
Based on all the above circumstances, the infrastructure construction in the Congo is quite backward, and the construction of road and railway networks has been delayed again and again, but people's daily travel is an urgent matter, what to do?
The development of civil aviation has become the best choice for the Congo.
However, the civil aviation aircraft of the Boeing and Airbus series in the West are generally expensive, and the long-weakened Congo cannot afford such a huge cost, so is there a cheap aircraft that can meet the needs of the Congo?
After some deliberation, the Congo set its sights on Soviet-made aircraft and eventually bought the long-produced Soviet-made Il-76 from Ukraine.
In fact, the human aviation industry originated in France and the United States in the 20th century, while the Russian aviation industry in the same period was in a backward and catch-up stage.
In the early days of the Soviet Union's national development of the aviation industry, the Soviet Aircraft Technology still had a huge technological gap with the Western countries.
Later, with the strong support of the relevant departments of the Soviet Union and the people of the whole country, the civil aviation industry in the Soviet Union has developed by leaps and bounds in just 20 years, and the Soviet aviation staff who uphold the concept of "workers, build your aviation fleet" vigorously develop the Soviet aviation industry.
In the entire airspace of the Soviet Union, new routes to various places were opened one after another, and more and more aircraft also took on the task of flying, and soon after the Soviet Union quickly built its first aircraft.
In just fifty years, the Soviet Union connected more than 3,600 cities and regions within its borders.
The protagonist of this article, the Il-76, is a product of this period, and since 1974, the Tashkent Aircraft Factory, now located in Uzbekistan, has produced a total of 950 Il-76 aircraft in 20 years.
Although the production of the Il-76 model is extremely high, it also has many disadvantages.
The noise of the Il-76 aircraft was so loud and the interference with the signals that they sat in these planes for a long time, ranging from dizziness to dizziness and vomiting.
In addition, the fuel consumption of this aircraft is extremely high, taking the common Boeing 737 as an example, it consumes less than 3 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers, that is, if the aircraft is fully loaded, it can earn 3 million yuan by flying from Beijing to Paris.
However, the fuel consumption of the Il-76 per kilometer is nearly 100,000 yuan, and it is a loss-making transaction to be used as a civil aviation passenger aircraft.
Therefore, this aircraft is generally a military mission, but why was it selected by the Congo as a civil aviation aircraft?
This is actually obvious, the Il-76 series aircraft production is extremely high, many quality inspection links are not perfect, so the price of the aircraft is relatively low, and Congo is looking at this.
At that time, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine had thousands of aircraft in hand, but for Ukraine, which was eager to develop its national economy and needed a lot of foreign exchange, these aircraft were quite chicken ribs.
If these aircraft cannot be sold, then maintenance is a huge expense every year, so Ukraine is eager to get rid of these "baggage".
For the economically backward and war-torn Congo, the Il-76 is one of the few models they can afford.
After some negotiations, the two sides hit it off, and the Congo leased a large number of Il-76 aircraft from Ukraine, which were converted for air transport, and the Ukrainians who served home also packaged the pilots with the aircraft to the Congo.
After leasing the Il-76 aircraft, the war-torn land of congo is still full of smoke.
As the war continued and expanded, Congo's military spending rose repeatedly, the government had to turn on the printing press to make up for the huge fiscal deficit, the entire country's economy began to deteriorate sharply, and the ghost of hyperinflation quietly hung over the entire dome.
Under such circumstances, the Congolese Ministry of Aviation is also quite sluggish in the maintenance of civil aviation passenger aircraft, and many important flight inspections are ultimately just formalities.
In April 2003, the Congo finally ushered in a new dawn, and under the mediation of the United Nations, the forces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) tended to reconcile, and they laid down their arms and went to the negotiating table.
(UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan)
In May 2003, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan called for the UN Security Council's troop force to be increased to 10,800 troops and urged the strengthening of the UN mandate to enable the mission to contribute more effectively to peace and stronger political support for the Transitional Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
However, a sudden air disaster once again plunged people's eyes that had just lit up hope into confusion and fear.
On the evening of May 8, Local time in the Congo, an Il-76 aircraft took off from the airport in the capital Kinshasa, with a scheduled destination of Lubumbashi, the second largest city in congo's southern stronghold and diamond center.
Because this disaster occurred in a peaceful and peaceful period of United Nations mediation, it even more exaggerated its tragic color, and this civil aviation tragedy caused a fierce shock in public opinion at that time, which made various tragedies and farces in Congo staged one after another.
So, what was the detailed history of this air disaster?
Second, overloaded passengers, disrepair, the hatch disappeared
After the modification, the Il-76 aircraft had a set maximum capacity of 150 people, and local officials once revealed to The Associated Press: "The plane that occurred was not overloaded, and there were 129 passengers on board." ”
However, the relevant person in charge of Kinshasa International Airport said: "It is estimated that there are about 200 passengers on board. ”
The Associated Press reported that there were 169 passengers on the plane at the time.
According to the Congolese military, most of the passengers on the plane were soldiers and their families of the DRC Rapid Reaction Police Unit, which is part of the large military base in Lubumbashi.
Because the force repeatedly performs long-term missions, it usually sets out with its family for easy care.
At the time of the incident, they took the plane to Lubumbashi to carry out a change of defense.
On the night of May 8, 2003, the Congolese night, in which all parties in the country ceased fire, ushering in a long-lost happiness, tranquility and serenity.
However, at the same time that everyone was bored, the country that had just emerged from the quagmire of war was hit hard, and a large number of passengers fell from the sky in the night - the wailing of pain and the blurred flesh and blood cut through the tranquility of the night, disrupting people's normal thoughts and stirring up tearing shocks.
When the Il-76 took off, most of the passengers on board were exhausted, dragging all kinds of luggage and carrying large bags and small bags out of their hometowns to prepare for the military base.
Throughout the flight, the roar of the engines was often accompanied by the ears, and even though every passenger in the crowded chassis was clinging to each other, the noise still made it difficult for the other party to hear what they were saying.
Still, the passengers were thrilled on the plane, clutching each other's hands and envisioning life ahead.
With the gradual adaptation to the roar of the aircraft, coupled with the fact that it is getting late, everyone is very tired in rushing, so many passengers slowly fall asleep.
But death has crept in.
After about forty minutes of flight, there was a sudden loud noise in the rear cabin of the plane, as if it were the sound of a heavy object falling, and the passengers who had not yet fallen asleep hurriedly checked around, but found nothing.
The sleeping passengers did not hear anything, still immersed in their own dreams.
At 9:45 p.m. local time, 45 minutes after takeoff, a cold wind blew through the cabin, and the sound of "whining" surprised everyone, and many passengers who had not woken up from sleep were directly thrown out of the plane.
Some passengers struggled to turn their heads, squinted their eyes and looked to the back of the cabin, only to find a shocking fact: the rear hatch of the plane was missing!
At this time, the plane was over the city of Mbuqimai, flying at an altitude of 33,000 feet, and Africa had been scorching hot for many years, where had the passengers experienced such cold winds? The sudden cold wind made everyone shiver with cold.
The strong air current rolled the passengers close to the hatch out of the plane one by one, and the entire plane fell into a huge bump, and some passengers were hit by falling luggage, released their grips and were "sucked" out of the plane.
One scream after another, the passengers fell in the air like dumplings.
The strong air currents caused the entire aircraft to lose pressure instantaneously, the flight altitude was constantly decreasing, the bumpy and turbulent aircraft aggravated the panic of the passengers, and the lack of oxygen made many passengers close to suffocation.
The helpless passengers grasped everything they could around them as much as possible, and the fathers firmly grasped their children, using their physical conditions to resist the super strong air current.
However, some women and the elderly are not physically superior, and some of them are thrown out of the plane before they even shout "help".
According to a later investigation report, the scene of the passengers falling from the air can be described as shocking and unbearable!
Some of the passengers were obliquely inserted in the rubble, and the shattered bones were scattered in the nearby fields, scattering an area of about an acre, and the water in the ditches in the fields was dyed dark red.
The victims were covered in blood, and some of the bodies had found no whole except for one half leg wearing leather shoes, and many letters were scattered on the ground along the plane.
After surviving the escape, the survivor, Pruden-Mucailai, said with palpitations: "At the time of the incident, I was sleeping when I suddenly heard people screaming. When I woke up, I found myself stuck, which saved my life. ”
At that time, the pilot, aware of the urgency of the situation, reacted quickly, firmly grasped the operating lever and tried to lift the aircraft, trying his best to maintain the balance of the aircraft.
At the same time, a pilot appeared in the cabin and drank to make all the passengers gather in the front half of the cabin, but many people were swept out of the cabin by the air current as they moved forward, and the living lives disappeared in an instant.
Many could not bear such a blow and cried out in collapse.
Eventually, with the pilot's skilful flying skills, the disrepaired Il-76 stumbled to land at Kinshasa International Airport.
The rescuers who had been waiting at the scene were stunned.
The surviving passengers collapsed on the rescue workers, crying in grief, and the tears of heartache were both the pain of losing their loved ones and the happiness of the rest of their lives.
The plane that took off with 169 passengers was now only 40 people left, and the remaining 100 or so people had disappeared into the vast land, and even the bones were gone.
Tragic air crashes, grieving survivors
Search and rescue work and investigation into the crash immediately began.
After the crash, the Congolese military sent a large number of helicopters to carry out search and rescue work, but only seven bodies were found.
According to airport search and rescue personnel, some passengers were thrown around in the plane, and eventually died of exhaustion, blood and flesh blurred, and it was too late to be treated.
There were also some passengers who were "lucky" and saved their lives in the huge bumps, but they were also injured.
An airport ambulance worker talked about seeing a passenger stuck in his seat during the rescue, hurriedly dragged the passenger out of the plane, took off his clothes, and found that he was still breathing, but his whole body was covered with blood, dying, and immediately carried to the ambulance.
However, it was even more unfortunate that after this seriously injured passenger was carried to the ambulance of the Fire Department, the car rushed to the hospital, and when the runway was muddy and slippery in the rain, when it reached the airport gate, it was tilted and fell in the field, and had to change another ambulance, and even the passengers who suffered were even more fierce.
Scattered aircraft parts could be seen on the lawn of the forced landing airport, and a pile of blood-stained tattered clothes, shoes and socks were messily stacked on the side.
In addition to search and rescue work, finding the cause of the crash is often a major issue of public concern after an air crash tragedy.
There are "black boxes" in modern aviation that record flight data, and as long as you find it, you can basically understand the cause of the accident, but in the Congo, things are not so simple.
Although the actual cause of the crash may not be complicated, it still needs to be repeatedly guessed, argued, and even debated.
The final findings showed that the surviving passengers were all survived because they were clinging to the fuselage and relying on strong air pressure.
This sudden civil aviation accident caused anger and trepidation from all walks of life in the Congo, and the various activities that followed around this series of tragedies presented a variety of unpredictable scenes.
The analysis of the causes of the incident was arbitrarily hammered out by the Congolese authorities after condemnation, prevarication and repercussions; the compensation for the lives and property of the victims was shirked in various inappropriate measures, only symbolically expressed, and finally failed; and the pursuit of responsibility for the incident was also stranded in the entanglement of all parties.
The profound trauma of this suffering has changed the path of life for each victim and his or her family, either suffering from illness, loneliness, or a sense of security about the world around them.
The Congolese have heard many militaryly stirring missions that encourage them to shed their blood for certain lofty goals, and perhaps only then can the world be balanced.
But every cold life that has passed, every godless eye for a loved one, every mutilated body,
Loss - this unforgettable memory of experience, only the parties involved in the event can truly understand its meaning.
The air crash caused serious psychological damage to survivors, causing many people to have a negative emotional experience, sadness, anxiety, fear, depression, anger and other emotions will accompany them almost for a lifetime.
Survivors' biggest traumatic disorder is called "flashback." In their daily lives, they will constantly think of the scene of the air crash, just like they are on the plane again, watching their comrades around them being swept out of the plane one by one, and constantly recalling the screams of helplessness in their ears.
As soon as they close their eyes, the images of the night of May 8 will flood into their minds like a tidal wave and linger.
Even in the middle of the night, those painful memories invade their brains, repeating them over and over again in their dreams, arguably the survivors are repeating the suffocating air disaster every night.
Gradually, survivors become withdrawn and indifferent, tired of communicating with people, locking themselves in corners, not wanting to come into contact with anything outside, even their own loved ones.