US, France join Kenya in Ololokwe helicopter crash probe

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The United States and France have joined Kenya's investigation into the Mount Ololokwe helicopter crash, as post-mortem examinations continued yesterday on the seven victims.

Post-mortem examinations have been completed on four of the seven victims, with DNA samples already taken from the four.

The remaining three examinations and DNA sampling were under way on Friday. All recovered remains are held at Lee Funeral Home in Nairobi.

The Eurocopter EC130 B4, registration 5Y-GYM and operated by Nairobi-based Lady Lori Helicopters, crashed near Kirish at the foot of Mount Ololokwe in Samburu County at about 9:13 a.m. on Wednesday.

It was flying safari guests of luxury operator &Beyond from Loisaba Conservancy toward the Ewaso Ng'iro area when it went down in rugged terrain and caught fire, killing all seven people on board.

Among the dead were pilot Josh Outram, founder of Africa Heli Adventures, and Ecuador's intelligence chief Michele Sensi-Contugi and his wife Stephany Hollihan Vásconez, a dual Ecuadorian-American citizen.

Five American citizens died in total, among them Vásconez, Telemundo executive José Suárez, and Miami restaurateur Roger Duarte, founder of the stone crab delivery business George Stone Crab.

The remaining two Americans, Adam Hlavaty and Henry Parra, were a married South Florida couple. Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared three days of national mourning over the deaths.

Difficult terrain and fire at the scene slowed recovery efforts, with the Kenya Red Cross and Tropic Air Kenya assisting the search before all seven bodies were retrieved by Thursday.

Very little wreckage and evidence could be recovered from the site since it is highly rugged and was extensively affected by fire.

The Air Accident Investigations Department (AAID), which is leading and directing the probe, noted Friday that all recoverable debris would be collected and transported to Nairobi under its custody.

"The investigation is nevertheless progressing, and the preliminary report will be released within 30 days, with the final report expected to be released within 12 months," explained AAID.

The investigation includes examination and documentation of the accident site and wreckage, recovery and preservation of relevant evidence, assessment of aircraft systems and components, and review of operational and maintenance records.

It also includes analysis of flight-path and other available data, coordination of specialist examinations and testing, and determination of causal and contributory factors.

AAID observed that all relevant states and parties have been duly notified and are participating within their respective roles under International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Annex 13, which obliges the state where an aircraft accident occurs to institute an inquiry in certain circumstances and, as far as its laws permit, to conduct it.

France's Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses (BEA), as the state of design and manufacture of the aircraft and its engine, has appointed an accredited representative, supported by a team of technical advisers, to join the probe.

The representatives are expected to take part in relevant technical activities under the direction and coordination of the AAID investigator-in-charge, including access to relevant evidence and technical information.

The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), by virtue of the fatalities involving US citizens, has a special interest in the accident and has appointed an expert from its Office of Transportation Disaster Assistance.

"The investigation is conducted solely for the prevention of future accidents and incidents and not for the apportionment of blame or liability," added AAID.

It is the second fatal helicopter crash of this scale in Kenya this year, after a February accident in Nandi County killed Emurua Dikirr MP Johana Ng'eno and five others.