Investigators from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) have narrowed down to two reasons that could have caused yesterday’s mid-air collision of two airplanes near Wilson Airport.
The accident, which occurred on Tuesday morning, involved a Diani-bound Safarilink aircraft and a Cessna 172 operated by Ninety Nines Flying School.
Aviation experts said that that the pilots of the two planes either ignored air traffic control instructions or did not receive them in time.
Insiders revealed that the authority would conduct “a comprehensive analysis of the voice recorder and piece together everything from the moment the two planes took to the skies before they issue a report.”
Thankfully, all 39 passengers and five crew members onboard the Safarilink aircraft survived the ordeal.
Despite the close call, details surrounding the Safarilink aircraft remain scarce. The airline has not yet released any further information on the condition of the aircraft, its manifest, flight plan or whether the journey of the 39 passengers continued.
Safarilink however did confirm the incident in a statement:
“Safarilink Aviation wishes to report that our Diani-bound flight number 053 with 39 passengers and 5 crew on board experienced a loud bang shortly after take-off at 9:45 this morning,” the statement read. “The crew decided to return to Nairobi Wilson Airport for further inspection and assessment and landed safely.”
However, attempts to reach the Safarilink CEO for further comment proved unsuccessful.
