The Ministry of Transport has released a preliminary report on the AMREF Flying Doctors aircraft crash that occurred in Mwihoko, Ruiru, Kiambu County, on Thursday, August 7, killing six people.
The Cessna Citation 560XLS, registration 5Y-FDM, had taken off from Wilson Airport at 2:14PM on a medical evacuation flight to Egal International Airport in Hargeisa, Somaliland.
The accident happened just three minutes after departure at about 2:17PM, when the aircraft crashed into a residential building near the A.I.P.C.A. Ngatho church.
All four people on board; two pilots, a doctor, and a nurse, and two on the ground lost their lives, while two others on the ground sustained serious injuries.
In a statement on Friday, September 5, Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir said the impact and fire destroyed both the aircraft and part of the building, and investigators were deployed immediately to the site.
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"The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and ensuing fire, and part of the building was destroyed. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Department (AAID) deployed investigators immediately to the crash site to conduct initial onsite investigation and witness interviews," the statement read.
Chirchir explained that following the crash, the United States’ National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Canada’s Transportation Safety Board (TSB) were notified and each assigned representatives to support Kenya’s investigation.
"As per the International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO's) Annex 13 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, Kenya being the State of Registry, Operator and occurrence is obligated to notify the States of Design and Manufacture of the aircraft, engines, and ICAO.
"The AAID, therefore, notified: The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the United States of America as the aircraft accident investigation authority of the State of Design and Manufacture of the aircraft, who assigned an Accredited Representative (ACCREP) under ICAO Annex 13 to support the AAID investigation; The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) as the aircraft accident investigation authority of the State of Manufacture of the engines, who assigned an ACCREP under ICAO Annex 13 to support the AAID investigation; and ICAO," the statement added.
Chirchir further noted that the engine manufacturer, AMREF, and the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) were also involved in the probe, and that investigators had secured both the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR).
"The engine manufacturer (Pratt and Whitney Canada) assigned a Technical Advisor, AMREF Flying Doctors and Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) assigned observers respectively under ICAO Annex 13 to support the AAID investigation.
"The AAID investigators recovered, isolated, and preserved the aircraft's Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) as found at the crash site. The FDR and CVR have been dispatched to the United States of America's National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recorders laboratory for examination, readout and analysis in order to finalize the investigation," the statement further read.
Chirchir said the recorders will be analyzed in a joint exercise later this month and early October, with representatives from all the concerned parties taking part.
"The joint FDR and CVR readout and analysis exercise will be conducted in the last week of September and the first week of October 2025 with the participation of AAID investigators, Accredited Representatives, and observers. Investigation into identifying the probable cause(s) of the accident is ongoing," the statement concluded.
Following the incident, AMREF Flying Doctors paid tribute to the four members of its team, including Captain Muthuka Munuve, a pilot who had worked with AMREF for six years and nine months.
Boasting over 10,000 hours, he was a captain and check pilot on both the ill-fated Cessna Citation XLS and Pilatus PC-12.
The other pilot was Captain Brian Kimani Miaro who had worked with AMREF for three years and nine months as an instructor captain on the Pilatus PC-12.
In the course of his service, he transitioned to become a check pilot and had amassed over 5,800 flight hours.
Nurse Jane Rispah Aluoch Omusula who had served AMREF for four years and eight months also died in the devastating crash.
According to AMREF, Jane provided lifesaving care with deep compassion, remarkable courage, and a steady presence in the most critical of moments.
Jane has served alongside Dr. Charles Mugo Njoroge who had worked with AMREF for seven years and eight months.
He was eulogised as a dedicated practitioner who served with dignity and compassion.
