A Namibia Defence Force (NDF) F-7 fighter jet has been badly damaged in a runway excursion at Ondangwa’s Andimba Toivo Ya Toivo Airport.
The aircraft (0315) suffered the incident on 15 October. The Chief of the Namibia Defence Force, Air Marshal Martin Pinehas, told Informante that the aircraft had landed normally but its brake parachute failed to deploy, causing it to overshoot the runway. As Ondangwa is now a commercial airport, it does not have arresting systems, he said.
Photos and videos show the aircraft upside down at the end of the runway, and badly damaged. It is most likely a write-off.
A crashed Namibia Defence Force F7.
The pilot is apparently uninjured but was taken to hospital for evaluation. Pinehas said an investigation into the incident will be conducted by the Air Force.
This is the second NDF aircraft incident in less than a month. On 23 September, an NDF K-8 jet trainer crashed shortly after takeoff from Karibib. Both pilots ejected and one was injured, suffering multiple fractures.
The Namibia Defence Force has a dozen Chengdu F-7NM/FT-7NM combat aircraft and a dozen Hongdu K-8 jet trainers in service. These are the only jet combat aircraft in its inventory.
