Two people on board a Cessna 172 have died after it collided with a Safarilink Aviation de Havilland Dash 8-300 aircraft midair.
According to Safarilink, the de Havilland Dash 8 took off from Nairobi Wilson Airport (WIL) in Nairobi, Kenya, with 39 passengers and five crew on board at 09:45 local time and was heading to Diani, also in Kenya.
Shortly after takeoff on March 5, 2024, those on board the aircraft experienced a “loud bang” and the flight crew decided to return to WIL so the Dash 8 could be inspected.
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) later confirmed that a Cessna aircraft, registered 5Y-NNJ, from the Ninety-Nines Flying School and the Dash 8, registered 5Y-SLK, had collided midair above the Nairobi National Park.
Although the Dash 8 and those on board were able to land safely police confirmed that the two people on the Cessna had died after the aircraft crashed.
“I can confirm a student and a trainer [on the training aircraft] died during the incident,” Adamson Bungei, Nairobi County Police Commander, said.
Photos of the Cessna, which also took off from WIL, were published on social media following the crash in the national park.
On March 5, SafariLInk #Dash 8-300 (5Y-SLK) was involved in a mid-air collision with a #Cessna 172 (5Y-NNJ) belonging to 99 Flying School shortly after takeoff from #Nairobi Wilson Airport, #Kenya 🇰🇪.
— FlightMode (@FlightModeblog) March 5, 2024
📷 @JacdecNew#Africa #aviation #AvGeek #avgeeks #flights #Travel #traveler pic.twitter.com/BKygHCq80K
“Investigations have commenced through various agencies led by the Air Accident Investigation Department (AAID) and the National Police Service to establish the cause of the accident,” the KCAA said in its statement.
Safarilink said it is investigating the incident after notifying the relevant authorities and will provide further details when it has more information.