Crash: Pilot, faulty parts blamed

What you need to know:

  • It has been revealed that one of the last-minute checks performed on the helicopter before it left Wilson Airport indicated that the autopilot was degraded.
  • After the first test at the airport, there was a warning that the Automatic Flight Control Unit was not functioning normally.

A technical fault and a pilot’s mistake led to the crash of the AgustaWestland police helicopter on September 8, a preliminary investigation shows.

The investigation is yet to be concluded, but the supplier and the police are pointing accusing fingers at one another.

The former is blaming pilot error while the latter has cited a technical fault.

It has been revealed that one of the last-minute checks performed on the helicopter before it left Wilson Airport indicated that the autopilot was degraded.

Investigations also show that in the few minutes before the chopper crashed, the vibration in the aircraft was so intense that the crew could not read anything on the cockpit or even see each other’s faces clearly.

After the first test at the airport, there was a warning that the Automatic Flight Control Unit was not functioning normally.

The second test showed the same message, prompting AgustaWestland engineer Mandip Ochan to intervene.

Mr Ochan then engaged both Autopilot 1 and Autopilot 2 simultaneously before he disengaged them.

When the third test was done, no caution was displayed and the crew left Wilson Airport.

On board were Mr Ochan, inspectors Martin Ndung’u and Dennis Otom Oduk, and constable Michael Kariuki Mutwota.

Investigators believe that one of the Kenyans might have made a mistake.

From the flight recorder, less than a minute before the crash, he can be heard exclaiming “Wawawa!”, suggesting that something unusual had happened.

Immediately, his colleagues are heard shouting his name repeatedly. At one point, the engineer is heard warning him: “Don’t do that! Don’t do that!”

The investigation has also revealed that they totally lost control of the aircraft shortly before it came down.

The helicopter was on normal aerial surveillance within Nairobi where the two pilots were to fly and train at the same time to gain captain and flight hours.

QUALIFIED PERSONNEL
Inspector Oduk was the first to fly the ill-fated chopper to Eastleigh.

The chopper hovered, remaining in the same position while airborne for a few minutes. This was on the western side of the Moi Air Base runway 06.

While in the area, they saw some marabou storks flying at a “safe distance”, according to the flight recorder.

He then turned left. About 10 minutes later, Mr Oduk is heard saying: “You have controls.” Mr Ndung’u responded: “I have controls.”

Mr Ndung’u had control and engaged the Altitude Select mode that would maintain the aircraft at the same altitude while airborne.

The Power Index kept on moving from green to yellow, but Mr Ndung’u told his colleague that it was normal because of the autocorrection.

When it continued, Mr Oduk told him to disengage and hold the “collective”.

He disengaged it and continued flying but suddenly the chopper yawed to the right.

Mr Oduk then asked Mr Ndung’u what was wrong, but before he replied, the helicopter turned to the right and started vibrating.

Mr Ochan then shouted: “Let’s go! Let’s go!” He managed to fly the chopper away from the slum, across Thika Road before it crashed minutes later at the National Youth Service compound.

When it was about 100 feet to the ground, there was a warning of “low rotor rpm”.

The National Police Airwing director Rogers Mbithi on Sunday said the pilots were qualified.

MORE QUESTIONS

Mr Oduk, he said, had obtained pilot certificates from the AgustaWestland academy in Italy.

The director said he was also qualified to fly Mi-17, having trained in the Czech Republic.

He added that the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority regulations required that any pilot must make at least five landings and five take-offs within 90 days for the licence to be valid.

Many questions, however, remained unanswered. First, the team from AgustaWestland was to be in the country for six months, according to the contract.

However, they left before the time was up. Mr Mbithi said the team had finished its work.

There have also been questions about spillage, suspected to be hydraulic fluid, on the tail of the crashed chopper — maybe an indication that it leaked when the aircraft was airborne.