Senior officer ‘flew Saitoti copter before Ngong crash’

PHOTO|ALI ABDI|NATION

Police Airwing quality manager Morris Oketch when he appeared before the commission at the KICC in Nairobi on August 29, 2012.

What you need to know:

  • Lawyer for Saitoti family tells the commission that Mr Mbithi left blank a column where a flight pilot is supposed to describe defects, if any, after landing as a lead for the next pilot.
  • Some 80 witnesses are expected to testify. The commission is seeking to establish the cause of the crash.
  • The helicopter, manufactured by Eurocopter of France but bought from its South African subsidiary, crashed on the morning of June 10 in Kibiku area of Ngong, killing all six on board.

A senior police officer took the helicopter which killed Internal Security minister George Saitoti and his deputy Orwa Ojodeh on a flight that was not documented days before it crashed.

The commission investigating the accident, which also killed two pilots and two bodyguards, was on Wednesday told the Police Airwing boss, Mr Rodgers Mbithi, flew for 50 minutes but did not record the date and his destination.

Police Airwing quality manager Morris Oketch said Mr Mbithi did not state the time and place of landing at Wilson Airport where the airwing is based. It is standard practice in aviation for pilots to document such flight details.

Some 80 witnesses are expected to testify. The commission is seeking to establish the cause of the crash.

The helicopter, manufactured by Eurocopter of France but bought from its South African subsidiary, crashed on the morning of June 10 in Kibiku area of Ngong, killing all six on board.

Mr Oketch, who was testifying for the second day, said the airwing commandant was the designated pilot on the take-off log sheet which, however, did not indicate a date and landings before the helicopter was returned to the hangar.

Mr Mbithi flew the helicopter from South Africa after it was purchased from Eurocopter, the commission heard.

Could not recall

The witness, however, could not recall whether he was in the team that flew to Voi on June 8, two days before the crash.

During cross examination by lawyer Fred Ngatia for the Saitoti family, Mr Oketch said the omissions were “clear errors in the commandant’s entries” but failed to explain further.

He told the commission that Mr Mbithi left blank a column where a flight pilot is supposed to describe defects, if any, after landing as a lead for the next pilot. (READ: Saitoti copter ‘allowed to fly with defect’)

“Such casualness bothers me,” he said. He said only the commandant could explain when and where he flew the aircraft. The commission heard the aircraft had been prepared for flight on June 9, a day before the crash.

Mr Oketch said he could not tell who was to use the helicopter on the cancelled trip, saying only the police operations and VIP transport departments had access to such information.

“The unit had received information that a flight would take place, but whoever was to use it was not known. I am more concerned with serviceability than the passengers,” Mr Oketch said.

He said he found the commandant and another senior officer at Wilson Airport on the tragic Sunday, but he did not take part in the pre-flight inspection.

Responding to a question by Mr Ngatia, the witness said civilian aircraft were parked at the police hangar, but declined to identity the owners.

He said only the commandant could allow them unlimited access to the hangar. He said a briefcase was stored in the luggage compartment after Prof Saitoti and Mr Ojodeh boarded the helicopter.

Asked how he got to the crash scene, Mr Oketch said he flew in another police helicopter captained by Mr Mbithi.