Long wait for news on lost plane, passengers

Family and friends of the eight passengers and two crew members who were travelling on the ill-fated flight from Kitale to Nairobi spent most of Wednesday desperately waiting for news about their loved ones.

They converged at Weston Hotel on Langata Road where counsellors, government officials and the airline’s staff kept updating them on the search and rescue operation commissioned at Kinangop, Aberdares.

The Cessna C208 aircraft, registration number 5Y-CAC, operated by Fly Sax, left a Kitale airstrip in Trans-Nzoia County at 4.05pm for Nairobi but lost contact with the control tower at 5.20pm.

On board were the pilot, Captain Barbra Wangeci Kamau, First Officer Jean Mureithi and eight passengers — Ahmed Ali Abdi, Karaba Sailah Waweru Muiga, Khetia Kishani, Matakasakaraia Thamani, Matakatekei Paula, Ngugi George Kinyua, Pinuertorn Ronald and Wafula Robinson.

MISSING FLIGHT

Relatives said they got information from the media that the flight was missing. They then called the airline, based at Wilson Airport, Nairobi, which confirmed the news.

Mr Robinson Wafula’s sister, Ms Charity Wafula, said he left their home in Bungoma and was heading to Nairobi where he does business.

She said her 30-year-old brother called them on Tuesday morning and confirmed that he would be travelling to Nairobi on the flight.

“When he left in the afternoon, the driver at home called us informing us that he had left for the capital city at around 4pm. But at around 7pm, we heard news that the flight was missing. It has been terrible for us but we hope he is safe,” Ms Charity said.

She said the airline had been updating the family on the search and rescue operations, with the worry being that bad weather in Kinangop could delay the mission.

“We are just being patient because there is nothing we can do. We are relying on the airline and the government spokesman for updates,” Ms Wafula said.

TRAVELS REGULARLY

She said her brother, the first born in the family, has a five-year-old son and travels regularly on business.

Fly Sax CEO George Kivindyo, speaking to the media at Weston Hotel, said the airline did not have enough information about the whereabouts of the flight and that they did not want to speculate about its fate.

“We have activated phase one of the search and rescue operation with the help of Air Accident Investigation Division of Kenya, Red Cross, Kenya Wildlife Service, Kenya Forestry Services and Kenya Airforce, with a concentration on Aberdare region,” he said.

Kenya Wildlife Service assistant director in charge of mountain areas, Mr Simon Gitau, said they would concentrate on Kinangop where the signals were located.

“We are not sure how long the search will take but Njambini remains an area of interest,” he said.

RESUMED SEARCH

Mr Gitau said they resumed the search at 4am, after it was called off on Tuesday night, but an aerial hunt for the craft is hampered by bad weather.

By 7am, a section of the search and rescue team was waiting to be airlifted from Njambini playground.

Signals from the aircraft belonging to Fly540’s East Africa Safari Air Express (FlySax), were identified but the search was hampered by adverse weather.

Questions linger as to what caused the accident, with claims of inconsistencies in the destined flight-path, the plane’s destined landing airfield, and the time the plane is supposed to have lost contact with the airport’s tower.

The Kenya Association of Air Operators executive secretary, Colonel (Rtd) Eutychus Karumba Waithaka, said the plane was expected to land shortly after 5pm.

“Until more investigation is done, it is still early to say what may have caused the mishap,” said Col (Rtd) Waithaka.

MECHANICAL PROBLEM

“It could have developed mechanical problems midair, could have been forced off-course by strong gusts of wind, or impeded by other bad weather such as dense fog, which have been prevalent in the area,” he said.

He said that to have been allowed to leave the airstrip, the plane must have been in good flying condition, and the crew well-versed in flying.

“An airline would hardly ever let a crew deemed inexperienced, or still green in the trade, to fly their aircraft. This is a dictum of the set regulations which all airlines adhere to.”

Refuting claims that the plane was destined for Wilson Airport, and may have changed course mid-flight, KCAA director general Gilbert Kibe was in agreement with the KAAO executive secretary. He said that the plane’s itinerary was from Kitale Airstrip to JKIA; without any stops or deviations.

Final signals indicate that the plane went off the radar in the Aberdares; a little off the predestined path.

INVESTIGATIONS

Another persistent question is, at its predetermined landing time, why was the plane still 40 nautical miles away?

“We are investigating the circumstances behind this turn of events and wouldn’t wish to speculate on anything,” said the director general.

The Air Accident Investigation Division of Kenya said until the search and pertinent investigations are complete, it is too early to know what caused the accident.

“Proper procedure has to be followed. We are not even sure if the plane crashed, we are just relying on a signal received from Kinangop. We have to find the aircraft first and determine if it crashed before proceeding with the relevant investigations,” said the official who didn’t wish to be named.