Safarilink Aviation Flight 053

Last updated

Safarilink Aviation Flight 053
99 Flying School 5Y-NNJ
Accident
Date5 March 2024
Summary Mid-air collision
Siteover Nairobi National Park, Nairobi, Kenya
1°20′32″S36°50′01″E / 1.34222°S 36.83361°E / -1.34222; 36.83361
Total fatalities2
Total survivors44
First aircraft
EC-LFU Dash 8Q-315 Air Nost-IB Reg PMI 19MAY10 (6822966421).jpg
The aircraft involved in the accident pictured with a previous operator in 2012
Type De Havilland Canada DHC-8-315
Operator Safarilink Aviation
IATA flight No.F2053
ICAO flight No.XLK053
Call signSAFARILINK 053
Registration 5Y-SLK [1]
Flight origin Wilson Airport, Nairobi, Kenya
Destination Ukunda Airport, Diani, Kenya
Occupants44
Passengers39
Crew5
Fatalities0
Injuries0
Survivors44
Second aircraft
Cessna 172M AN1417807.jpg
A Cessna 172M, similar to the accident aircraft
Type Cessna 172M
Operator99 Flying School
Registration5Y-NNJ [1]
Flight originWilson Airport, Nairobi, Kenya
DestinationWilson Airport, Nairobi, Kenya
Occupants2
Crew2
Fatalities2
Survivors0

On 5 March 2024, Safarilink Aviation Flight 053, a De Havilland Canada Dash 8 en route from Wilson Airport in Nairobi, Kenya, to Ukunda Airport, Kenya, collided after takeoff with a Cessna 172M training flight operated by 99 Flying School over Nairobi National Park. The Dash 8 returned to Wilson Airport and landed safely with all 44 aboard unharmed, but the Cessna crashed in the national park, killing both occupants. [2]

Contents

Aircraft and crew

The first aircraft involved in the collision was a De Havilland Canada DHC-8-315, manufacturer serial number 574, and registered as 5Y-SLK. The aircraft was 22 years old at the time of the accident and was equipped with two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW123E engines. [3] The flight consisted of 39 passengers and five crew members. [4] The captain had 7,500 flight hours, with 1,600 hours on the type and the first officer had 3,200 flight hours, with 110 hours on the type. [3]

The second aircraft involved was a Cessna 172M, registered 5Y-NNJ with serial number 172-65726. The aircraft was around 48 years old at the time of the accident and was equipped with a Lycoming O-320-E2D engine. [3] The flight crew consisted of an instructor pilot and a student pilot. [5] The instructor had 700 flight hours, while the student pilot had accumulated 50 flight hours. [3]

Accident

The collision occurred at around 09:34 GMT (6:34 UTC) in visual meteorological conditions. [3]

Safarilink Aviation Flight 053 had just taken off from runway 14 at Wilson Airport en route to Ukunda Airport in the coastal resort town of Diani Beach when the crew heard a "loud bang". The pilots returned to Wilson Airport and landed safely on runway 32. [lower-alpha 1] All 44 people on board the aircraft were unharmed. [3] [4] [6]

The Cessna, which also originated from Wilson Airport, had been flying in the airfield traffic pattern on an instructional flight for 99 Flying School, practicing touch and go landings on the intersecting runway 07. Shortly after the collision, the Cessna crashed into the grounds of the Nairobi National Park near the airport, killing both pilots on board. [3] [4] [5]

Investigation

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Department (AAID), Republic of Kenya Ministry of Roads and Transportation, launched an investigation of the accident and issued a preliminary report. [3]

Sections of the deicing boots on the right wing and the right horizontal stabilizer of the DHC-8 were found to be missing when the aircraft was inspected after landing. The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) of the DHC-8 were not damaged and were retained by investigators for analysis. [3]

The fuselage of the Cessna broke into several pieces. The main wreckage was found slightly to the right of the extended centerline of runway 14, 1.663 nmi (3.080 km; 1.914 mi) inside the national park. Several subassemblies of the Cessna including a horizontal stabilizer were separated from the fuselage and were found within 112.5 m (369 ft) of the main wreckage site, along with both missing deicing boots from the DHC-8. The Cessna did not carry, nor was it required to carry, a CVR or FDR. [3]

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References

Notes

  1. Runway 32 is the same runway as 14; the other number is used when taking off or landing in the opposite direction. See Runway#Naming.

Citations

  1. 1 2 Hradecky, Simon (5 March 2024). "Accident: Safarilink DH8C at Nairobi on Mar 5th 2024, midair collision with light aircraft". The Aviation Herald . Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  2. "2 killed in midair plane collision above Nairobi National Park, Kenya police say". ABC News. Associated Press. 5 March 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Preliminary Midair Collision Accident Report Involving 5Y-SLK and 5Y-NNJ" (PDF). AAID. 3 April 2024. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 Rukanga, Basillioh (5 March 2024). "Kenya mid-air collision kills student pilot and trainer". BBC News . Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  5. 1 2 "Flight student and trainer killed in collision over Kenya's capital". Reuters. 5 March 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  6. "Two dead as planes collide mid-air in Nairobi, Kenya". Africanews. 5 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.