Ninety Nines Flying School has confirmed the identity of the student who was flying the plane before it collided with a Safarilink plane on Tuesday, March 5.
In a statement, the aviation school identified the student as Mariam Omar.
According to the institution, the deceased was kind and captured the attention of other students with her affectionate smile. Mariam's cheerful demeanour also made her stand out in the aviation school.
"We are lucky to have experienced your one-of-a-kind personality. Always bubbly and cheerful, we remember you with a smile Mariam," the aviation school stated.
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Following the accident, Mariam is set to be buried at the Langata Cemetery on Wednesday, March 6, according to the Islamic culture.
"Prayers for our student Mariam Omar will be held today 6th March at 1 pm at Masjid Nur in South C, Nairobi. Burial will be held at Langata Muslim cemetery after prayers," the school announced.
99 Flying Club is a flying school based in Nairobi that caters for the private, commercial and airline sectors.
Reports indicate that she was with her instructor in the 99 Flying Club aircraft when the accident happened. A Diani-bound Safarilink plane turned back after the collision shortly after taking off from Wilson Airport.
All 39 passengers and five crew on board the Safarilink plane were evacuated safely.
"Safarilink Aviation wishes to report that our flight number 053 with 39 passengers and 5 crew on board headed to Diani experienced a loud bang shortly after take-off at 9:45 this morning," Safarilink said.
"The crew decided to return to Nairobi Wilson Airport for further inspection and assessment and landed safely".
Investigations have since been launched to establish the cause of the accident.
