A Transair Senegal Boeing 737-300 operating a scheduled flight from Dakar in Senegal to Bamako in Mali has suffered extensive damage after veering off the runway at Dakar’s Blaise Diagne International Airport (DSS). Of the 78 passengers and crew onboard the flight, 11 are reported to have suffered injuries with four of the cases described as “serious”, including one of the two pilots.
The aircraft registered as 6V-AJE was performing Transair flight R2 3043 from Dakar to Bamako at around 04:30 local time on May 9, 2024. While the aircraft was accelerating for takeoff from Dakar’s runway 01, the flight crew decided to reject the take-off attempt due to a suspected hydraulic leak.
During the rejected take-off sequence, the aircraft reportedly veered off the left side of the runway about 6,000 ft (2,000m) from the point marking the start of its takeoff run, eventually coming to a halt on the soft ground next to the Senegalese Presidential Pavillion at the airport. On coming to a stop, the plane’s left wing and engine caught fire. All occupants evacuated the damaged aircraft via the emergency escape slides.
The airport’s single runway (01/17) was immediately closed following the incident. An inbound Air Senegal flight from Abidjan (Ivory Coast) to Dakar was descending towards Dakar at the time of the incident and was diverted to Banjul (Gambia) as a result.
Footage posted on X shows the immediate aftermath of the accident with the aircraft’s wing and left engine still covered in fire suppressant foam. The engine appears to have sustained heavy damage from the impact with the ground and subsequent fire while the aircraft fuselage appears to be damaged but largely intact.
All flights at the West African airport remain suspended at the time of writing while the aircraft is recovered.
Transair Senegal is based at Blaise Diagne Airport and operates domestic flights and international routes within West Africa. According to ch-aviation, the airline operates a fleet of five aircraft – the 737-300 involved in this incident plus a single 737-500 make up the Boeing fleet while an Embraer 120 Brasilia turboprop and a pair of Embraer 145 regional jets make up the balance.
6V-AJE is 29.6 years old having first been delivered to TAROM Romanian Airlines in November 1994 as YR-BDG. The aircraft accommodates 134 passengers in a two-class configuration – eight in business class and 126 in economy class.