Region

Crash of a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan in Kiunga

Date & Time: Dec 17, 2023 at 1330 LT
Type of aircraft:
Registration:
5Y-GOK
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Kiunga - Nairobi
MSN:
208B-2278
YOM:
2011
Location:
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
8
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from Kiunga Airstrip, while in initial climb, the single engine airplane collided with electric wires and crashed near small houses, bursting into flames. All 10 occupants escaped with minor injuries and the airplane was totally destroyed by a post crash fire. All eight passengers were officers of the Kenyan Police returning to Nairobi.

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver near Naivasha: 1 killed

Date & Time: Jul 12, 2021 at 1245 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
5Y-BCL
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Nairobi - Lodwar
MSN:
1552
YOM:
1964
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Captain / Total flying hours:
534
Captain / Total hours on type:
217.00
Aircraft flight hours:
9034
Circumstances:
On 12 July 2021 at about 1245 (1545) a Viking Air Ltd DHC-2 Beaver MK1A aircraft registration 5Y-BCL operated by the Desert Locust Control Organization of Eastern Africa (DLCO-EA) with three on board crashed at Kosovo area of Ndabibi in Naivasha, Nakuru County. The accident site is located near the edge of the hilly eastern side of Eburru forest manned by the Kenya Forest Service (KFS). The flight originated from Wilson airport, Nairobi County and was enroute to Lodwar airport, Turkana County. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and largely consumed by the ensuing fire. A passenger suffered fatal injuries while the pilot and the other passenger suffered serious injuries requiring more than 48 hours of hospitalization. At the time of the accident the area in the vicinity of the accident site had near overcast cloudy conditions.

Crash of a Beechcraft 200 Super King Air in Nairobi

Date & Time: Mar 26, 2021 at 1630 LT
Operator:
Registration:
5Y-NJS
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Nairobi – Kisumu – Eldoret – Nairobi
MSN:
BB-837
YOM:
1981
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
6589
Captain / Total hours on type:
4600.00
Aircraft flight hours:
12177
Circumstances:
The aircraft, registered 5Y-NJS operated by Westwind Aviation Ltd crashed at Ngong Racecourse. The flight with two onboard was on a private mission to Kisumu, Eldoret and back to Nairobi. The aircraft departed Wilson Airport (HKNW) at 0420Z and landed at Kisumu Airport (HKKI) at 0502Z. It then departed HKKI to HKEL at 1142Z and landed at 1200Z where it picked one passenger. The flight then departed HKEL to HKNW with three onboard at 1247Z with an estimated flight time of 40 minutes. According to the preliminary information obtained from the Captain, the aircraft attained flight level 250 42NM from Eldoret VOR. The flight was then cleared to fly direct to GV VOR by Nairobi Area Control Centre. During descend to flight level 100 they encountered bad weather whereby the wings developed heavy icing. The Captain deployed deicing systems on the wings but the problem persisted. The situation prompted the Captain to request Wilson Control to descend to “Monstry fix” for landing at HKNW which was approved. As the flight continued descending the left engine went off. The Captain requested Wilson Tower for assistance. After 30 seconds, the right engine also went off. The Captain elected to make an emergency landing at Ngong Racecourse. On landing along, the left wing collided with trees and broke-off and separated together with the left engine and the left main landing gear. The turned clockwise through 180° and faced the opposite direction. All three onboard escaped unhurt but the aircraft was destroyed.

Crash of a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan in Marsabit: 2 killed

Date & Time: Mar 20, 2021 at 1000 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
5Y-JKN
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Nairobi – Marsabit
MSN:
208B-0688
YOM:
1998
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Captain / Total flying hours:
4235
Captain / Total hours on type:
2329.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
344
Copilot / Total hours on type:
104
Aircraft flight hours:
16343
Circumstances:
The report describes the accident to C208B type of aircraft, registration 5Y-JKN with two crew on onboard that occurred on Marsabit Hill on 20th March 2021 in which the aircraft crashed killing two crew onboard. The aircraft with 2200lbs fuel onboard was chartered to ferry Marsabit County Officials to a peace keeping mission at Illeret 156 nautical miles North West of Marsabit town. Preliminary information revealed that the aircraft departed Wilson Airport at 08.20am (0520Z) and arrived within the vicinity of Marsabit town at around 10.00a.m (0700Z). It collided with Kofia Mbaya Hill - Marsabit terrain while attempting to approach Marsabit airstrip. The aircraft first impacted the terrain with its nose-wheel and the main landing gears leaving parts of the fuselage and iron box with its content kept in the lower baggage compartment on the sport. It then ballooned and missed a house before it flipped upside down and impacted the ground and came to rest facing opposite direction. It left a trail of aircraft parts along its path before it came to rest. The nosewheel and its assembly separated and fell off and was found next to the house 110m from its first point of impact. There was no fire after impact but all the occupants received fatal injuries.

Crash of a Harbin Yunsunji Y-12 II in Voi: 4 killed

Date & Time: Jan 12, 2021
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Nairobi - Voi
Location:
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
On approach to Voi Airport, the twin engine aircraft struck the slope of Mt Irima located about 9 km north from runway 18 threshold. All four occupants were killed. Registration unconfirmed.

Crash of a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan in Maji Moto

Date & Time: Sep 11, 2020
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
5Y-CDH
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
208B-0608
YOM:
1997
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
1
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Crashed in unknown circumstances in Maji Moto, Rift Valley. All three occupants escaped with various injuries and the aircraft was destroyed.

Crash of a Fokker 50 in Nairobi

Date & Time: Oct 11, 2019 at 0902 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
5Y-IZO
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Nairobi - Mombasa - Lamu
MSN:
20244
YOM:
1992
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
50
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
7492
Captain / Total hours on type:
262.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
4156
Circumstances:
On October 11, 2019 at about 0902 Kenya daylight time, a Silverstone Air Services Fokker 27 Mark 050 registration 5Y-IZO experienced runway excursion on takeoff runway 14 at Wilson Airport with 55 occupants onboard (5 crew and 50 passengers). The aircraft was performing a scheduled flight from Wilson airport to Mombasa, Lamu and back to Wilson airport. The aircraft was fueled then the passengers boarded the plane before the normal pre take off procedures which were reported as uneventful as collaborated by the information from the FDR. The Right Hand engine receded the Left Hand engine in startup as depicted by the parameters from the recorders. From engine startup, taxi, lineup runway 14, power up and including the initial stages of ground roll were uneventful. At 06.02.50 GMT, while still on ground roll take off, the LH engine ITT began to fluctuate, dropped from 707.8 to 175.8. The RH ITT remained stable. The other parameters of both engines were stable. Subsequent power down ensued at 06.03.01, IAS dropped from 110.2Knots and the aircraft magnetic heading increased gradually to 144 consistent with the deviation of the aircraft to the right of the runway axis when it left the paved surface of the runway, before colliding with the airport perimeter fence, went through an embankment before coming to rest tilted to the right after the starboard wing made contact with a tree. The passengers were deplaned through the two left hand side front and rear exit doors. Immediately the event occurred, ATS Wilson airport issued a crash alert and Wilson Airport Fire Service (AFS) responded without delay, found the passengers already evacuated from the aircraft and applied foam to the sections of the aircraft with leaking fuel. Runway 14/32 was closed and all inbound and departure traffic made use of the remaining runway. Preliminary information retrieved from the Flight Data Recorder Radar regarding the engine ITT seems to correlate with the flight crew statements regarding the observed fluctuations on the LHS engine ITT.

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-8-202 in Kichwa Tembo

Date & Time: Aug 16, 2019 at 1100 LT
Operator:
Registration:
5Y-SLM
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Nairobi – Kichwa Tembo
MSN:
506
YOM:
1997
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Following an uneventful flight from Nairobi-Wilson Airport, the crew landed on a gravel runway at Kichwa Tembo Airport. After touchdown, the aircraft collided with two wildebeests. Upon impact, the left main gear was torn off and the aircraft veered off runway to the left and came to rest. All occupants evacuated safely and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. Both wildebeests were killed.
Probable cause:
Loss of control upon landing following a ground collision with two wildebeests.

Crash of a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan in Mt Aberdare: 10 killed

Date & Time: Jun 5, 2018 at 1702 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
5Y-CAC
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Kitale – Nairobi
MSN:
208B-0525
YOM:
1996
Flight number:
EXZ102
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
8
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
10
Captain / Total flying hours:
2352
Circumstances:
The aircraft took-off from Kitale Airstrip (HKKT) at 16.05 hours and set course to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (HKJK) after climbing to FL 110 with ten onboard. Once established, there were slight peripheral variations in groundspeed and track. The aircraft Flight Level was sustained at 110 with some occasional deviations. Aircraft height above ground level (AGL) varied between 1,102 feet and 4,187 feet. One minute before its impact with the cliff, the aircraft was at 11,100 feet or 3,000 feet AGL, 159 knots ground speed, and tracking radial 338 NV. Immediately before radar signal was lost, the elevation of the highest ground level was 12,876 feet, the aircraft altitude was 11,200 feet, the ground speed was 156 knots, and track was radial 339 NV. Information retrieved from the Radar transcript recorded various parameters of the aircraft from 1605hrs up to 1702hrs, the time radar signal was lost. This information was consistent with information extracted from the on-board equipment the ST3400 and the aera GPS. The radar system transmits information including aircraft position in relation to NV VOR, Flight Level or altitude, ground speed, vertical speed and heading. Information retrieved from the GPS captured the last recorded time, date and location as 14:00:52, on 06/05/2018 and elevation 3,555.57 metres. The aircraft impacted the bamboo-covered terrain at an elevation of 3,645 metres at 0.36’56’’S 36 42’44’’ where the wreckage was sited. The aircraft was totally destroyed by impact forces and all 10 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
The flight crew's inadequate flight planning and the decision to fly instrument flight rules (IFR) at an altitude below the published Minimum Sector Altitude in the Standard Instrument Arrival Chart under instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), and their failure to perform an immediate escape maneuver following TAWS alert, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain (CFIT).
Contributing Factors:
1. Contributing to the accident were the operator's inadequate crew resource management (CRM) training, inadequate procedures for operational control and flight release.
2. Also contributing to the accident was the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority's failure to hold the operator accountable for correcting known operational deficiencies and ensuring compliance with its operational control procedures.
3. There was no requirement for crew to be trained in CFIT avoidance ground training tailored to the company’s operations that need to address current CFIT-avoidance technologies.
4. Use of non-documented procedure and Clearance by the ATC to fly below the published minimum sector altitude.
5. Lack of situational awareness by the radar safety controller while monitoring flights within the radar service section.
Final Report:

Crash of a Fokker 50 in Nairobi

Date & Time: Jan 4, 2015 at 1102 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
5Y-SIB
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Wajir – Nairobi
MSN:
20167
YOM:
1989
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
6
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
17000
Captain / Total hours on type:
1200.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
4143
Copilot / Total hours on type:
200
Circumstances:
On 4 January 2015, about 0840 local time, a Fokker 27-50 a cargo flight, registration 5Y-SIB, operated by Skyward Express Ltd, experienced a gear-up landing at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (HKJK). The flight had diverted to HKJK due to a mechanical malfunction of the landing gear. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and the airplane was on an IFR flight plan. None of the ten persons on board were injured. The airplane was substantially damaged and there was no fire. The flight originated at Wajir (HKWJ) and the original destination was Nairobi-Wilson Airport (HKNW). During the departure from HKWJ, the flight sustained a bird-strike. After taking steps to confirm any aircraft system malfunction the aircraft systems were still operable and the flight crew elected to continue the flight. The flight en route was without any incident. While in the traffic pattern at Wilson, the landing gear was activated to extend and it resulted in an unsafe indication for the left main gear. During the period of about an hour while circling overhead the airport, the flight crew attempted to resolve the anomaly but they were unsuccessful. It prompted the crew to declare an emergency after they had confirmed that the left main landing gear was locked up in the air position and was not lowering. After declaring an emergency, the crew carried out an extensive consultation with the air traffic services and the company ground personnel and elected to divert the flight to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (HKJK). The crew made a successful gear-up landing at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (HKJK) runway 06 with no injury to those onboard the flight however the aircraft sustained substantial damage. The aircraft got disabled after landing and blocked both runways for more than four hours as the airport authorities struggled to remove it to pave way for other operations. According to the report obtained from post-accident interview with the flight crew at 0540 the aircraft took-off at Wajir (HKWJ) on runway 15 and immediately after take-off on passing 200ft at a speed of Vref +10 Knots the crew noticed a flock of birds and tried to evade them. While increasing the aircraft rate of climb they felt like a thud (hitting something). After clearing the flock they inspected the instruments and confirmed all aircraft systems were functioning satisfactorily. They then proceeded with their flight as intended. According to the air traffic control (ATC) transcript obtained from Wilson control tower upon entering Wilson aerodrome traffic circuit at 0641:41 the crew requested ATC to join downwind runway 07 and was immediately cleared. After five minutes (0646:50) the crew requested ATC to extend downwind and at 0648:03 the crew confirms to the ATC that they are checking the undercarriage. At 0654:08 the crew confirms to the ATC that they have an emergency on the left main landing gear and they have checked it is locked up in the air position. The crew requested for more time to trouble-shoot the problem and requested ATC to brief their company about the problem. At 0731:07 the crew confirmed to HKNW air traffic service unit that they are ready to do gear-up landing and they would prefer HKJK instead of HKNW. They are then cleared for HKJK to join left base runway 06. 30 seconds later the crew changes their intention to go to HKJK and confirms to HKNW ATC that they would do a gear-up landing at HKNW and requests for more time. At 0749:31 the crew consults with their company through HKNW ATC and agrees to carry out the gear-up landing at HKJK and the flight was cleared to proceed to HKJK. At 0802 the crew made a successful gear-up landing on runway 06 at HKJK.
Probable cause:
The cause of the accident was the failure of the left Main Landing Gear, MLG to extend during landing due to a bird strike which disabled proper functioning of the mechanical system that controls the opening and closing the door to the left MLG.
Final Report: