The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) has issued an update on a tragic crash involving a light aircraft in Kedong Ranch, Naivasha.
The crash which happened on Thursday, January 30 evening left two dead.
Preliminary reports indicated that the deceased was a man and woman, believed to be a couple, who had taken off from Wilson Airport in Nairobi heading to Mbaruk when the accident happened in the afternoon.
Area police boss Charles Mwai said bad weather and poor terrain in the area hampered rescue operations that were mounted later on going to the night on Thursday.
KCAA in a statement on Friday confirmed the crash and noted that the Cessna 185 aircraft crashed at approximately 5:14 pm.
Kenya Civil Aviation Authority issues update on light aircraft crash in Naivasha
The Authority said that it is actively coordinating with relevant authorities, emergency responders, and local security personnel, to gather further details and facilitate response efforts.
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STATEMENT BY KCAA
Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) regrets to confirm that an aircraft accident occurred late yesterday at Kedong Ranch, Naivasha, involving a Cessna 185 aircraft, registration 5Y-BVL.
Preliminary reports indicate that the accident occurred at approximately 17:14. There were two persons on board (POB: 02), both of whom have unfortunately lost their lives.
The flight had departed from Wilson Airport and was en route to Mbaruk. The initial information was reported by a member of the public to the Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC).
KCAA is actively coordinating with relevant authorities, including the Air Accident Investigation Department (AAID), emergency responders, and local security personnel, to gather further details and facilitate response efforts. We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims.
The crash comes about three weeks after another light aircraft crashed before bursting into flames in the Kwachocha area of Malindi, Kilifi County.
The accident which happened near the busy Malindi-Mombasa highway on the afternoon of Friday, January 10, claimed the lives of two boda boda riders and a pillion passenger.
One of the witnesses at the accident scene named Alberto Nyaga while revealing how the moments unfolded during the crash recalled how he helped save the occupants of the plane.
Last moments of Malindi plane crash
Nyaga detailed that he first saw the plane strike a boda boda rider riding along the highway before it crashed.
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He further said that the people on board the plane called him to rescue them moments after the aircraft crashed which prompted him to rush and break one of the doors.
“When the aircraft came down, there was a boda boda rider who was riding on the road and hit first by the plane. After the plane crashed, the occupants on board called me to save them. I rushed, broke the door and helped one of the males inside the plane who also helped me rescue the female who was with him,” said Alberto Nyaga.
KCAA stated that the Cessna 172 plane operated by the Kenya Aeronautical College crashed about 2 Kilometers from Malindi airport and had three people on board who sustained serious injuries.
“The aircraft had three people on board who survived and were rushed to the nearest hospital. Meanwhile, regrettably, there were 3 fatalities on the ground,” KCAA said.
Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) Safety Manager George Otieno confirmed that those in the ill-fated aircraft were a captain, a trainee and an instructor who were rescued by emergency responders.
Otieno said that the flight was a standard training operation when the aircraft encountered a technical issue, forcing an emergency landing.
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