Panic broke out at the Maasai Mara airstrip after a Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft, registration 5Y-SOP, crash-landed at the facility on Monday, June 1.
Videos captured at the scene show the small white aircraft, believed to be a Cessna 208 Caravan, coming to rest nose-down with its tail raised into the air following the rough landing.
Several individuals, including people dressed in uniform, were seen rushing across the airstrip toward the aircraft moments after the incident.
Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) is expected to issue a statement after gathering facts surrounding the incident.
Read More
This comes weeks after two Kenyans were killed after a passenger aircraft crashed in South Sudan.
In a statement on Monday, April 27, the South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority (SSCAA) said the aircraft involved was a Cessna 208 Caravan, registration 57-NOK.
According to SSCAA, the plane, operated by CityLink Aviation Ltd, reportedly went down about 20 kilometres southwest of Juba.
"The South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority (SSCAA) confirms that an aircraft crash occurred approximately 20km southwest of Juba today," the statement read in part.
The authority also gave details on the flight path, revealing that the victims also included one pilot and 12 South Sudanese nationals.
"The aircraft departed Yei enroute to Juba International Airport at 09:15 AM and lost communication at 09:43 AM. There were 13 passengers and 1 pilot (Captain) on board (POB), two Kenyan nationals and 12 South Sudanese nationals. Unfortunately, there were no survivors," the statement added.
SSCAA further said early findings point to poor weather as a possible cause as response teams were sent to the crash scene.
"Preliminary reports indicate that the aircraft may have crashed due to adverse weather conditions, particularly low visibility. The SSCAA response team has been dispatched to the site to gather information and support emergency and recovery efforts," the statement concluded.
Prior to that, an EBB Air Embraer plane operating on the Nairobi-Mandera route lost control and landed in the nearby vegetation.
Preliminary reports indicate the airplane overshot the runway at the Mandera Airstrip before it crashed.
Following the incident, all 36 passengers and crew on board the plane were safely evacuated.
Photos of the crash seen by Nairobi Leo show the front end of the EBB Air aircraft submerged in vegetation with light smoke rising from the left side wing.
