This archive report was first published on 16 November 2019.
On June 5, 2018, FlySax flight EXZ 102, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan airplane, registration 5Y-CAC, took off from Kitale bound for Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. However, the flight ended in tragedy when the plane crashed into the Elephant Hill, a steep mountainous section of the Aberdare Ranges, killing all 10 people on board.
A report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Department found that the probable causes of the accident were the flight crew's inadequate flight planning and their decision to fly instrument flight rules (IFR) at an altitude below the published Minimum Sector Altitude in the Standard Instrument Arrival Chart. The report also faulted the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) for failing to hold the operator of the airplane accountable for a series of known operational deficiencies.
The radar safety controller at JKIA was also found to have lacked situational awareness while monitoring flights within the radar service section. The report stated,
