This archive report was first published on 3 December 2019.
On Tuesday morning, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) conducted an emergency drill at Wilson Airport to gauge the level of preparedness of government agencies involved in the National Aeronautical Search and Rescue System.
According to KCAA Director General Capt Gilbert Kibe, the exercise, dubbed 'Okoa Maisha Asarex 2019,' aimed to assess the State's level of preparedness in coordination, communication, command, and control of the National Aeronautical Search and Rescue System in responding to an aviation accident or incident.
The drill involved state agencies including KCAA, National Police Service, KDF, Kenya Met, KWS, Ministry of Health, Kenya Airports Authority, and Kenya Airways.
As part of the exercise, the agencies sought to address any gaps within the current Standard Operating Procedure to ensure swift emergency responses and improve efficiency within Kenya's aviation system.
The drill came in response to reports on social media that a small aircraft had gone missing at about 9:30 am. A small plane with six on-board reportedly from Rusinga island was to land at Wilson Airport at 9:30 am but could not be located on the radar.
On November 19, a trainee pilot crash-landed at Malindi International Airport after his plane lost a wheel midair. The pilot had to fly for two hours to expend fuel and avoid explosion when crash-landing.
