Kenya : Plane drops wheel midair, makes emergency landing at Kenya's Eldoret International Airport
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Abuga Makori in Nairobi
- Posted On 29-10-2019, 06:59AM
ELDORET - A passenger plane was on Monday forced to make an emergency landing at Kenya's Eldoret International Airport, over 500 KM West of capital Nairobi.
The bombardier Dash 8-300, registration number 5YBWG, had four passengers and five crew members on board at the time of flight scare.
Authorities said the aircraft left Lodwar airstrip in Turkana County, Northern Kenya at around 9am local time. One of the rear wheels dropped immediately, few meters outside the airstrip.
This, police said, made them to make emergency calls to Eldoret International Airport staff, located around 500 KM South of Lodwar, for emergency landing.
"The wheel was collected by members of public several metres outside the airport,” Turkana Central Sub County Police Commander David Mburukwa told the media.
According to Mr Mburukwa, the wheel was recovered by members of the public outside the Lodwar airstrip and was handed back to the airport's management.
The plane which is still at Eldoret International Airport, is managed by Silverstone airlines, a private company registered for domestic flights in Kenya.
"The captain of the flight decided to divert to Eldoret International Airport in the interests of the continued safety of the passengers and the crew. This was a precautionary action and the aircraft landed safely," the airline's management said.
Apparently, the flight scare comes amid questions about the competence of the said airline, given a series of incidents that raising safety fears among members of the public.
Barely two weeks ago, another aircraft attached to the company skidded from runaway at Wilson Airport, injuring nine people in the process.
The plane was headed to Lamu, a town in Kenya's Indian Ocean coast. A Member of Kenyan parliament, Jerusha Momanyi, was among those rescued.
Over the weekend, CCTV footage showed yet another incident where a Silverstone aircraft slightly collided with another plane within Wilson Airport. No statement has been issued yet.
Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, the agency responsible for safety, said 'investigations have been launched to establish suitability of Silverstone company'.
Captain Gilbert Kibe did not however, indicate when the inspection is supposed to be completed. Hundreds of Kenyans have called for closure of the company.
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