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2006 Kenyan Air Force Harbin Y-12 crash

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Coordinates: 2°18′47″N 38°01′14″E / 2.31306°N 38.02056°E / 2.31306; 38.02056
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2006 Kenyan Air Force Harbin Y-12 crash
Kenya Air Force Flight I-32
An Eritrean Air Force Y-12, similar to the aircraft involved
Accident
Date10 April 2006 (2006-04-10)
SummaryControlled flight into terrain in bad weather
SiteMount Marsabit, Kenya
2°18′47″N 38°01′14″E / 2.31306°N 38.02056°E / 2.31306; 38.02056
Aircraft
Aircraft typeHarbin Y-12 II
Operator Kenya Air Force
Registration132
Flight originMoi Air Base
DestinationMarsabit airstrip
Occupants17
Passengers13
Crew4
Fatalities14
Survivors3[1]

On 10 April 2006, a Kenya Air Force Harbin Y-12 II operating as Flight I-32, flying from Nairobi to Marsabit, Kenya, crashed into Mount Marsabit in bad weather as it was approaching Marsabit airstrip a second time after aborting its first attempt, killing 14 of the 17 occupants on board, including a number of politicians. The flight to the region was carrying a peace delegation meant to mediate regional feuds, which were exacerbated by a food crisis. In the aftermath of the accident, multiple politicians expressed their condolences with three days of national mourning declared.

An investigation led by the Kenyan Air Force and representatives of the Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation concluded that poor visibility and bad weather led to the aircraft crashing into the volcano. However, a report by The Standard claimed that the pilot-in-command was intoxicated, thus unfit to fly, with another report by The Daily Nation raising nationwide safety issues involving airstrips, including the one where the aircraft was due to land, finding that previous safety recommendations issued to improve airstrips had largely been unimplemented.

Background

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Purpose of the flight

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Location of Marsabit within Kenya

The flight to the region, carrying a peace delegation, was meant to mediate regional feuds between the nomadic communities of the Borana, Gabra, and Rendille people at the Ethiopia–Kenya border.[2][3][4] Incidents such as livestock rustling and inter-clan fighting,[5] most notably the Turbi massacre,[6] left 90 people dead in 2005 alone.[5] Additional tensions and fighting had broken out due to a scarcity of resources, mostly caused by a food crisis in the region.[7] Furthermore, militia groups suspected of being part of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF), also accused of participating in the Turbi Massacre, were attacking kenyans living along the border.[6][8] The Government of Kenya was accused of contributing to the region's tensions, among others in the country, citing corruption, its failure to equally and adequately distribute its resources, and secure conflict ridden districts.[9] The planned peace talks, which were scheduled to be held at Marsabit's Pastoral Centre,[6] represented the first time that the leaders of the Borana, Gabra, and Rendille people had agreed to initiate peace talks and come up with a comprehensive peace programme after years of hostilities.[3]

Aircraft and crew

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The aircraft involved in the accident, manufactured in 2000, was a six-year-old twin-engine turboprop Harbin Y-12 II registered as 132.[1] The aircraft had 1,032 hours of flying time and was one of six Harbin Y-12s to be imported from China five years before the accident.[10]

The crew consisted of the pilot-in-command, Major David Macharia Njoroge, who had more than 2,000 hours of flying experience and was promoted to the rank of Major the year before,[11][12] the co-pilot, Captain Joseph Njogu Muriithi, Senior Sergeant and Air Force flight engineer Joseph Muriithi, and Senior Private Trevor Mwamunge. Joseph Muriithi and Trevor Mwamunge were both seated at the back of the plane.[13][5]

Accident

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The wreckage of the aircraft.

The flight, operating as Flight I-32,[11] was scheduled to fly from Moi Air Base, Nairobi, to Marsabit airstrip. At 09:00 AM local time, the aircraft took off from Moi Air Base.[5] According to the Kenya Meteorology Department, weather at Marsabit was expected to include rainy and misty conditions.[14] As the flight approached the airstrip, the pilot-in-command decided to abort the landing due to the presence of heavy fog and proceeded to circle around Marsabit.[6] At around 10 AM,[7] as the pilots attempted a second approach, the flight crashed into Mount Marsabit before the pilots had a chance to react. The aircraft broke into two and burst into flames.[6] A local resident stated that there was a big fire and that only the tail and a bit of the wings were left unburnt.[7] Out of the 17 occupants on board, 4 passengers initially survived the accident but 1 later succumbed to his injuries while being transported to a hospital.[4]

Victims

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  • Mirugi Kariuki MP, assistant minister of internal security
  • Titus Ngoyoni MP, assistant minister of regional development
  • Bonaya Godana MP, deputy leader of the official opposition
  • Abdi Sasura MP
  • Guracha Galgallo MP
  • Abdullahi Adan, member of the East African parliament
  • Peter King'ola, Moyale district commissioner

Aftermath

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Kenya's President, Mwai Kibaki, issued a statement appealing for calm and prayers, adding that he had received the news with shock and disbelief, especially since the delegation of officials onboard the plane were headed to a peace mission in Marsabit.[15][16] As part of the rescue and recovery missions, the Kenyan government sent two planes to assist in the efforts, with the Kenya Wildlife Service also sending a plane to evacuate the injured.[17] Three days of national mourning were declared by Mwai Kibaki.[18][5]

The Speaker of the National Assembly of Kenya, Francis ole Kaparo, announced that Parliamentary activities were adjourned until the funeral of the victims was over.[5][19] This was the second time that the Parliament was disrupted by the death of a Minister of Parliament; the first time being in 1975 when Josiah Mwangi Kariuki was murdered.[5]

The crash dealt a major blow to peace efforts in the region.[6] A United Nations official stated that it would be difficult to be able to find new individuals who would have the same level of influence and expertise as those in the peace delegation.[2] As a result of the accident, all four constituencies of Marsabit County were left without any parliamentary representatives.[6]

Investigation

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The accident was investigated by the Kenyan Air Force and representatives of the Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation.[10] Investigators placed an exclusion zone around the wreckage.[5] According to government spokesman Alfred Mutua, initial findings considered bad weather to be the cause of the crash.[5] At the time of the accident, heavy fog was present as the aircraft approached the runway.[20] Preliminary findings did not lend credence to a mechanical issue involving the aircraft.[10] The crash was later blamed on poor visibility.[6]

Allegations of intoxication

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According to a report published by The Standard on 23 April, the pilot-in-command, Major David Macharia Njoroge, had been drinking at a bar a few hours before the flight, watching an FA Premier League football match between Manchester United and Arsenal F.C. Throughout the duration of the match, the pilot consumed three beers, before leaving the bar at around 11 PM. According to a radio personality, they stated that they had seen the pilot and his friend drinking between 12 AM and 4 AM.[11] Flight regulations mandate that there should be no attempt to operate an aircraft within 8 hours of having consumed alcohol,[10][11] while under the influence, with a blood alcohol content of 0.04% or greater, or while using any substance that could potentially compromise air safety. In general, it takes around 12 hours to get rid of the effects of alcohol. However, the pilot had only left the bar a few hours before the flight.[11] Shortly after the accident, investigators took blood samples from the bodies of the pilots, which were to be examined by Kenya's Government Chemist, however, the results of these tests remain unknown.[10] Three MPs of the Kenya African National Union (KANU) called for an investigation into claims that the pilot-in-command was drunk and that the aircraft involved was unairworthy.[21]

Alfred Mutua confirmed that the pilot-in-command was at a local club but stated that the rest of the report published by The Standard, who he accused of consistently publishing lies, was falsified. In response, The Standard reiterated their position stating:[22]

[...] we wish to restate our position that Major David Macharia had been on an all-night drinking spree. That fact, and the rest of the story, was published without any malice whatsoever. Rather, it was published as a result of a greater and nobler reason: Putting on the spotlight the relevant authorities' failure to enforce measures already in place to ensure air safety now and in future.

Notably, the story in question raised more issues than the possible compromised social circumstances of the pilot. It raised the condition of the aircraft itself, which had no avionics to guide the pilot on possible obstacles and the exact location of where he was.

The story raised the issue of the unnecessarily secretive manner in which military procurement is done. It raised the issue of training for aviation experts. Our story raised the issue of the foolhardiness of such an aircraft flying in bad weather. [...]

Safety of airstrips

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Following the accident, an investigation by The Daily Nation uncovered issues involving Kenya's airstrips, including Marsabit's airstrip. Funding requested by the Provincial Administration to improve the airstrip was scarce, with only around one fifth of the amount requested being provided. As a result, the unmanned airstrip had no available ground crew that could have assisted the pilots and provided them guidance as they were attempting to land in low visibility. A pilot who had flown multiple times to Marsabit stated that its topography, which involves multiple natural barriers, made landing attempts difficult whether or not weather conditions were at their best.[14]

Following a plane crash in 2003 which resulted in the deaths of Labour Minister Ahmed Khalif and the aircraft's two pilots, a Commission of Inquiry, led by senior counsel Lee Muthoga, concluded in 2005 that most airstrips in Kenya were poorly maintained which meant that most airstripts were unusable, lacked up-to-date weather reports or were near tall buildings, slums, or tall trees. It also noted that oversight over these airstrips varied, with some being inspected regularly to others having not been inspected in years, owing to staff shortages. Recommendations that were issued as a result of the accident aiming at improving general oversight and quality of Kenya's airstrips, were found to have not been sufficiently implemented, if any.[14][23]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Accident Harbin Y-12-II 132 | Monday 10 April 2006". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Kenyans mourn air crash victims". BBC News. 11 April 2006. Archived from the original on 12 April 2006. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  3. ^ a b Kinyanjui, Maureen (10 April 2023). "Crash that killed 6 Kibaki era MPs on peace mission". The Star. Archived from the original on 10 April 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  4. ^ a b "In pictures: Kenya plane tragedy". BBC News. 11 April 2006. Archived from the original on 13 April 2006. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Peace mission tragedy". The Daily Nation. 10 April 2006. Archived from the original on 21 April 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Oluoch, Fred (24 November 2013). "Leaders on peace mission killed in plane crash". The Daily Nation. Archived from the original on 5 January 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  7. ^ a b c Wax, Emily (11 April 2006). "Plane Crash in Kenya Kills 14 Members of Peace Delegation". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 12 August 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  8. ^ Oluoch, Fred (24 November 2013). "Distinguished lawyer killed in plane crash". The Daily Nation. Archived from the original on 29 September 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  9. ^ "We need action, not prayers alone, say religious leaders". The Daily Nation. 21 April 2006. Archived from the original on 29 September 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  10. ^ a b c d e "Marsabit: Pilot error most likely". The Daily Nation. 22 April 2006. Archived from the original on 29 September 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  11. ^ a b c d e Mochama, Tony; Ombati, Cyrus (23 April 2006). "Marsabit aircrash: The untold story". The Standard. Hiiraan Online. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  12. ^ Ndegwa, Alex (14 April 2006). "Kenya: Widow Recalls Pilot's Last Phone Call Before Crash". allAfrica. The Standard. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  13. ^ "Survivor tells of his final seconds in doomed plane". The Daily Nation. 11 April 2006. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  14. ^ a b c Kimani, Peter; Munene, Mugomu; Mugonyi, David (14 April 206). "Revealed: The shame of Kenya's unsafe airstrips". The Daily Nation. Archived from the original on 29 September 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  15. ^ Van Marsh, Alphonso (10 April 2006). "Kenyan plane crash kills 14". CNN. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  16. ^ Lacey, Marc (10 April 2006). "14 Killed as Plane Carrying Kenyan Politicians Crashes". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 13 September 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  17. ^ "Kenya: Plane Crash in Marsabit" (PDF). International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). 13 April 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 April 2006. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  18. ^ "Air crash kills Kenya politicians". BBC News. 10 April 2006. Archived from the original on 12 April 2006. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  19. ^ "Rais Kibaki aongoza wakenya kuomboleza" [President Kibaki leads Kenyans to mourn]. China Radio International Kiswahili (in Swahili). 11 April 2006. Archived from the original on 12 August 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  20. ^ "MPs die in Kenya air crash". Al Jazeera. 10 April 2006. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  21. ^ Miring'uh, Eliud (28 April 2006). "Kenya: MPs Want Plane Crash Probed". The Standard. allAfrica. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  22. ^ "Kenya: Response to Govt's Statement On 'Standard'". The Standard. allAfrica. 28 April 2006. Archived from the original on 7 May 2006. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  23. ^ "A study of Commissions of Inquiries in Kenya" (PDF). Africa Center for Open Governance. 2007. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 January 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
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