A Diani-bound Safarilink plane carrying 39 passengers was this morning involved in a mid-air incident immediately after taking off.
In a statement, Safarilink Aviation reported that the incident happened on Tuesday, March 5 morning at around 9:45 am.
Further, the company indicated that the aircraft flight number 053 which had an extra 9 crew on board, was on its way to Diani when a loud bang was heard shortly after take-off.
The crew then decided to immediately turn back to Nairobi-Wilson Airport for further inspection and assessment and landed safely.
There were no casualties reported in this accident.
“At 9:45 Local Time our flight number 053 with 39 passengers and 5 crew on board headed to Diani experienced a loud bang soon after take-off. The crew decided to immediately turn back to Nairobi- Wilson Airport for further inspection and assessment and landed safely.
“The relevant agencies have been notified and together with Safarilink Aviation are investigating this incident. We will provide an update once we have more information,” said Safarilink.
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Plane Crash in Nairobi National Park
The clarification by the company followed reports of a plane crash at the Nairobi National Park.
According to a statement by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, a light aircraft belonging to Ninety-Nines Flying School collided with a Dash 8 belonging to Safarilink Aviation Limited at 10:05hrs.
Additionally, KCAA indicated that investigations into the incident had begun to establish the cause of the accident.
“Kenya Civil Aviation Authority wishes to confirm that an aircraft accident occurred at 10:05hrs involving a Cessna aircraft belonging to Ninety-Nines Flying School and a Dash 8 belonging to Safarilink Aviation Limited.
“Investigations have commenced through various agencies led by the Air Accident Investigation Department (AAID) and the National Police Service to establish the cause of the accident,” explained the statement.
Police officers at the scene reported that two individuals who were abord the aircraft belonging to Ninety-Nines Flying School passed away in the crash.
Also Read: Aircraft Ferrying 10 Officers Crashes in Lamu
Aircraft Crash in Lamu
In a separate incident in December 2023, an aircraft ferrying nine officers from the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and a police officer crashed in Kiunga in Lamu County.
The impact of the crash set the plane ablaze and tore it to pieces.
Firefighters arrived at the scene to put out the fire despite the persistent burning of the debris in the thicket.
The aircraft, a 5Y-GOK Cesna 208, was reported to have taken off from Kiunga in order to transport Kibaoni students who had performed well in the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams to Nairobi.
However, all the officers on board are reported to have survived the crash and have been rushed to hospital for treatment.
