Crocodile caused plane crash in Congo

LONDON: A plane crash in Democratic Republic of Congo that killed 20 people on board was caused by a crocodile hidden in a bag on the flight.

British co-pilot Chris Wilson was among 20 people who died in the crash when passengers ran into the cockpit to escape a crocodile.

Wilson died alongside Belgian pilot Danny Philemotte when the twin-engined plane crashed Aug 25 into a house a few hundred metres from its destination in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

A lone survivor apparently told investigators that the small plane was thrown off balance by a stampede of passengers trying to avoid the reptile.

The Let L-410 Turbolet came down despite no apparent mechanical problems during an internal flight from the capital, Kinshasa, to Bandundu regional airport.

According to the inquiry report and the testimony of the only survivor, the crash happened because of a panic sparked by the escape of a crocodile hidden in a sports bag.

The sole survivor told investigators that the crocodile had caused all the passengers to flee to the front of the aircraft, causing it to flip. The plane was then sent off-balance.

The crocodile survived the crash before being cut up with a machete, it said.