UN & Congo 1, USAF & US Army 0

There are two runways at this big base, a very long one and the other not so long but plenty.  One of our airplanes landed on the long runway the other day and blew two tires.  They were rolling out and felt a bump.  When the airplane slowed more they could feel it so they cleared the runway onto a taxiway and stopped.  No one was injured and there was no damage to the plane other than the two tires.

Some pilots went out to look at the runway and were quite surprised.  It is a concrete runway and had multiple holes and areas of crumbling concrete.  There were decayed areas feet wide with steel rebar exposed.  Some holes had sharp edges and were 6 inches deep.  Our plane blew the tires when it hit a hole like this.  These can't be seen from an airplane because you are moving too fast when you are landing and your attention is directed far down the runway so you can keep the airplane going straight.  The holes and areas of damage are near the center line and practically can't be avoided.

Before we moved in this place was a base for the local air force.  I don't know what condition it was in then but that runway hasn't been kept up very well.  It is okay for big planes with big tires like the AN-12's, C-130's and IL-76's but for our little planes and our little tires it isn't good.

They showed me the photos they took and I have never seen such a badly deteriorated hard surfaced runway still in use, ever.  And that includes the Congo.  The UN and the Congolese gov (mostly the the UN) maintain the hard surfaced runways in the Congo and there isn't one that comes close to being this bad.  Even N'Dolo is better.  The other bases I've landed at in this part of the imperial frontier are good.  Why this one isn't, I don't know.  Ain't it a shame though, Mbandaka's runway is better than this one.

(our shorter runway is in good shape.  so we at least tied the UN on half of our airport.)