PILOTS DO A STERLING JOB IN BRINGING A CRIPPLED FOKKER 50 DOWN SAFELY
(Posted 04th January 2015)
Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport stared disaster in the face when one of the landing gears of a twin engine turboprop aircraft failed to come down and lock in the critical phase prior to landing.
The cockpit crew then, according to details phoned in from Nairobi, requested to circle over the suburbs of Nairobi for a while, trying to assess the problem and the severity of it and burn off fuel in the process. After realizing that one of the two landing gears was stuck was a decision reached to land the plane ‘on the belly’, not risking a landing with just one of the two main gears down as it could have ended in the plane eventually spinning out of control or even overturning.
The pilots landed the aircraft as they had planned and the JKIA emergency services performed well as the plane, with sparks drifting from the metal underbelly, eventually slid to a halt. The flight reportedly originated in Wajir, North Eastern Kenya. It could not at this stage been ascertained how many passengers and crew were on board but from onsite reports it appears that none of them was injured in the emergency landing.
(Photos taken from the Facebook page ‘AIRLINE CREW OF EAST AFRICA’ courtesy of Ithe Wa Wambui
The area surrounding the aircraft was immediately doused in foam by the airport fire brigade, stopping any potential outbreak of fire, with both pilots exiting the plane safely to the applaus of those on the ground who had anxiously watched the final descent and landing.
The aircraft, a Fokker 50 registered as 5Y-SIB, MSN 20167, operated by Skyward International which is based at Wilson Airport in Nairobi, performed its first flights on the 26th of October 1989 which means it is just over 25 years old. It was initially owned by Malaysia Airlines, FlyAsian Express and MASwings before joining the Skyward fleet on the 21st of August 2013.
The single runway at East Africa’s busiest international airport, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, remains closed to allow for the safe removal of debris and the aircraft itself. Outgoing flights have been delayed indefinitely and incoming traffic is presently being diverted to airports in the region including Mombasa, Entebbe and Kilimanjaro International.
Passengers booked on flights leaving Nairobi today or families and friends expecting to pick passengers from incoming flights, are urged to contact the respective airlines to find out when the JKIA runway will be cleared and flight operations can resume.
In a related development is the EIA public hearing phase now underway for a second runway at East Africa’s busiest airport, and no doubt will any objections be overridden by the absolute need to construct a second runway and keep operations in Nairobi going even if one runway is blocked. Watch this space for breaking and regular aviation news from the Eastern African region.
