Incident Overview

Date: Tuesday 5 March 2024
Aircraft Type: de Havilland Canada DHC-8-315Q
Owner/operator: Safarilink Aviation
Registration Number: 5Y-SLK
Location: near Nairobi-Wilson Airport (HKNW) – ÿ Kenya
Phase of Flight: Initial climb
Status: Minor
Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 44
Component Affected: Leading edge of the right-hand horizontal stabilizer of the Dash 8.Leading edge of the right-hand horizontal stabilizer of the Dash 8.
Category: Accident
A Safarilink Dash 8 (5Y-SLK) and a 99 Flying Club Cessna 172M Skyhawk experienced a mid-air collision near Wilson Airport (WIL/HKNW) on a training flight. The Cessna crashed in Nairobi National Park, resulting in the deaths of both occupants. The Dash 8 safely returned to Wilson Airport, with all 39 passengers and five crew unharmed. The aircraft sustained damage to the leading edge of its right-hand horizontal stabilizer. The Cessna operated on a training flight, performing touch-and-goes on runway 07, and was instructed to look out for traffic upwind runway 07. The crew reported visual traffic to their 8 o?clock position, and upwind traffic was advised to look for the DHC-8 departing runway 14. The captain experienced visual traffic to his 8 o?clock position, which he described as being well clear of conflict at approximately 400ft. Around 6,000ft, the crew heard a loud bang and felt an impact, leading to the PIC feeling an imbalance (a yaw) and attempting to recover stability. The PIC stopped climbing and leveled off at 6,200ft. The flight then returned to WIL after a possible collision with another aircraft, occurring on the Cessna’s early downwind leg.A Safarilink Dash 8 (5Y-SLK) and a 99 Flying Club Cessna 172M Skyhawk experienced a mid-air collision near Wilson Airport (WIL/HKNW) on a training flight. The Cessna crashed in Nairobi National Park, resulting in the deaths of both occupants. The Dash 8 safely returned to Wilson Airport, with all 39 passengers and five crew unharmed. The aircraft sustained damage to the leading edge of its right-hand horizontal stabilizer. The Cessna operated on a training flight, performing touch-and-goes on runway 07, and was instructed to look out for traffic upwind runway 07. The crew reported visual traffic to their 8 o?clock position, and upwind traffic was advised to look for the DHC-8 departing runway 14. The captain experienced visual traffic to his 8 o?clock position, which he described as being well clear of conflict at approximately 400ft. Around 6,000ft, the crew heard a loud bang and felt an impact, leading to the PIC feeling an imbalance (a yaw) and attempting to recover stability. The PIC stopped climbing and leveled off at 6,200ft. The flight then returned to WIL after a possible collision with another aircraft, occurring on the Cessna’s early downwind leg.

Description

Safarilink flight F2053, a DHC-8-Q315 Dash 8 (5Y-SLK), and a 99 Flying Club Cessna 172M Skyhawk (5Y-NNJ) suffered a mid-air collision near Wilson Airport (WIL/HKNW), Nairobi. The Cessna crashed in Nairobi National Park, killing both occupants, and was destroyed. The Dash 8 safely returned to Wilson Airport. All 39 passengers and five crew on board were not injured. The aircraft sustained damage to the leading edge of the right-hand horizontal stabilizer. The Cessna operated on a training flight and was performing touch-and-goes on runway 07. The Safarilink Dash 8 was cleared for takeoff by the tower controller and the crew was told to look out for traffic upwind runway 07 (5Y-NNJ). The upwind traffic was also advised to look out for the DHC-8 departing runway 14. According to the crew, while climbing through 400 ft, the captain had visual traffic to his 8 o?clock position which he described as being well clear of conflict. At approximately 6,000ft, the crew heard a loud bang and felt an impact. The PIC felt an imbalance (a yaw) and immediately tried to recover stability of the aircraft. The PIC stopped climbing and leveled off at 6,200ft. The flight then returned to WIL after reported a possible collision with another aircraft. The collision is said to have occurred on the Cessna’s early downwind leg.

Source of Information

https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/98274-kenyan-airline-issues-update-after-reports-two-planes-collide-midair, https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/nairobi/article/2001490931/safarilink-plane-forced-to-turn-back-to-nairobi-after-mid-air-collision, https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/news/east-africa-news/plane-turns-back-to-wilson-airport-after-mid-air-collision–4545998, https://twitter.com/CAA_Kenya/status/1764949671200346140, https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2024-03-05-two-dead-44-escape-unhurt-as-two-planes-collide-at-nairobi-national-park/https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/98274-kenyan-airline-issues-update-after-reports-two-planes-collide-midair, https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/nairobi/article/2001490931/safarilink-plane-forced-to-turn-back-to-nairobi-after-mid-air-collision, https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/news/east-africa-news/plane-turns-back-to-wilson-airport-after-mid-air-collision–4545998, https://twitter.com/CAA_Kenya/status/1764949671200346140, https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2024-03-05-two-dead-44-escape-unhurt-as-two-planes-collide-at-nairobi-national-park/

Primary Cause

Visual traffic conflict and a yaw imbalance during flight.Visual traffic conflict and a yaw imbalance during flight.

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