This archive report was first published on 25 June 2021.
KDF Plane Crash in Kajiado: Eyewitness Accounts and Investigation ¶
On Thursday, June 24, a KDF Mi-171E Air Force chopper crashed and burst into flames at Ol Tepesi area in Ngong, Kajiado County, resulting in the loss of 10 military officers and injuries to 13 others.
According to sources within the military, the accident was caused by poor vision and dust, which affected visibility. The Captain, a female pilot, reportedly experienced disorientation and loss of situational awareness, leading to a brown-out, an in-flight visibility restriction, which affected landing and caused the plane to crash.
Eyewitnesses described the scene as chaotic, with the plane zigzagging over Oltinka shopping centre and hovering above the ground before it crashed. A number of soldiers who survived scrambled to disembark using a thick rope that was lowered to the ground, but the scramble reportedly went on for over 20 minutes before the plane tumbled and burst into flames.
The soldiers who had survived found it hard to rescue those trapped in the plane as it had burst into flames, and the weapons in the plane alongside ammunition carried by the soldiers further exploded.
"I witnessed death first-hand. We aided some of the survivors to the main road before they were ferried to private hospitals in Kiserian town," an eyewitness told the Nation.
A motorist who ferried a number of the injured soldiers to the hospital added that they were critically injured and in pain.
One family member of a KDF officer who lost his life in the plane crash eulogised, "My uncle perished in the crash. He was among the trainers and a distinguished military servant. We are praying for peace for our family and the rest of KDF officers too."
The plane was reduced to ashes, save its broken propellers and a section of the engine.
