Fire led to copter’s system failure

By Ally Jamah

The helicopter that crashed killing Internal Security Minister George Saitoti, his assistant minister Orwa Ojodeh, and five others may have gone down after “failure of the crucial hydraulic system” that helps the pilot control the plane.

Metallurgy engineer George Onyango, who studied the gearbox of the helicopter, told the Kaplan Rawal Commission of Inquiry probing the crash that a fire could have caused the critical collapse in the hydraulic system.

In his report, he suggested that the ‘fire occurred in the zone of the hydraulic pump’ adding that the “fire was localised and intense resulting in the melting down of the part holding the hydraulic pump. Failure of the hydraulic system occurred as a result”.

Fuel leak

“The components of the helicopter employing hydraulic control failed to respond as a result making it impossible for the pilot to control the plane,” he told the probe team, Justice Rawal chairs.

The expert indicated that the hydraulic system is a network of pipes with oil under high pressure, to support the control and manoeuvring of the plane. It is usually more than 20 times the pressure of a car tyre

On the possible source of the tragic fire, Onyango suggested it could have come from a pressurised source such as a fuel or hydraulic canister.

“If you have a leak of the highly pressurised hydraulic oil through a pinhole, it comes out as a gas inside the chamber, just like in diesel engines. If ignites, it would be like a flame torch,” he said.

However, it has emerged that the hydraulic pump, which is now at the centre in unlocking the puzzle of the crash, is not available.

Reports attributed to the Commission’s Chief Investigator Clatus Macowenga, said that the pump was not recovered from the accident scene.

In his report, the engineer attached a case of another Eurocopter plane in Canada that went down as a result of hydraulic failure making the pilot lose control.

Reason for poisoning

In his testimony, the expert suggested that there was a fire in the helicopter before the crash. He also agreed with the suggestion that another fire could have broken out after the impact as a result of fuel from the copter’s tanks. 

Onyango also indicated that the burning of the pressurised oil in the hydraulic system might have produced the poisonous carbon monoxide gas since the oil is designed not to burn fully.

All the six crash victims were said to have significant levels of carbon monoxide poisoning, according to reports by the Government pathologist. Blood tests on co-pilot Luke Oyugi showed a 68.6 per cent carbon monoxide poisoning in his blood.

Questions about the report were interrupted after several lawyers suggested that the metallurgy expert reviews another report on the fire damage to the engine.