By Linah Benyawa and Philip Mwakio
One person has died and another injured in a light plane crash in Kinondo area of Kwale County.
The deceased, a South African national and an employee with Base Titanium in Diani, died on his way to the hospital.
Wreckage of the micro-light aircraft that crashed after take off at the private Kinondo airstrip in Kwale County on Thursday. One person died and another injured in the incident. [PHOTO: MAARUFU MOHAMED/STANDARD] |
He is said to be a renowned journalist in South Africa.
According to Msambweni AP Commandant Wilson Gichuhi, the aircraft was trying to take off at Kinondo but it developed some mechanical problems and crashed seriously injuring the passenger and the pilot.
And the Kenya Airports Authority has indicated that it is probing the existence of a privately owned airfield in Kinondo, where the micro-light airplane crashed on Thursday killing the sole passenger onboard.
The deceased was doing consultancy work with Base Titanium Ltd, the firm mining titanium in Kwale. He had taken an early morning leisure flight and was to overfly Diani airspace.
KAA assessment
The victim is said to have sustained injuries after he was cut on the head and hands by the aircraft propeller.
"At around 8.30am, a small aircraft was trying to take off at Kinondo with one passenger and the pilot but after taking off it land crashed, injuring the passenger, who later died on his way to the hospital," said Gichuhi.
The pilot, Mr Mark Hawley, sustained bruises and was rushed to Diani Beach Hospital for treatment.
Gichuhi said light aircraft registered ZU.CHU was seriously damaged during the incident.
The body of the deceased has been transferred to the Pandya Memorial Hospital in Mombasa and police were waiting for his relatives to identify it.
By the time of going to press, the aircraft was at the scene waiting for experts from KAA in Nairobi to assess the damage before towing it.
Moi International Airport manager Yatich Kagungo said they were concerned on the serviceability of the airfield which he alleged had not been registered.
"We have reservations about this particular airfield which handles mainly the microlight airplanes,’’ Kagungo told The Standard on telephone.
"It went the full runway length instead of half the runway and seconds later, I had a bhang sound," said Benjamin Mwalyunga, an attendant at the airfield’s hangar.
Doctors at the Diani Beach Hospital described the pilot’s condition as stable and out of danger.
