PRECISION AIR’S PUBLIC STATEMENT ABOUT A BIRDSTRIKE ON ONE OF THEIR AIRCRAFT
(Posted 10th December 2018)
Precision Air confirms that its flight PW 722 from Nairobi via Kilimanjaro to Mwanza operated by one of our ATR- 72 aircraft was involved in a bird strike as it was making the final approach and landing at Mwanza Airport.
Due to the skills and competence of the pilots acquired from the high training standards of Precision Air, the aircraft landed safely without any casualties, to the 4 crew members and 68 passengers on board. The flock of birds collided with the aircraft during the approach and landing phase of the flight, which demand the highest dexterity and confidence of the pilot in order to complete the landing safely.
The aircraft has been grounded at Mwanza to allow a team of engineers to assess extent of damage and to determine the necessary course of action. Being short of one aircraft for our commitment, adjustments had to be made to our flights from which some passengers may be inconvenienced in the short term. However, we shall do our best to minimize the changes and pledge that all passengers will eventually reach their destination.
All affected passengers will be advised of changes to their flight. We apologize for the inconvenience caused on this occasion and our team is working tirelessly to make sure the scheduled timetable is restored without much delay.
Precision Air will always uphold the safety of its passengers and at no point will we compromise with that. Subsequently, it will be our duty to give recommendations to the authority in order to avoid the occurrence of such incidents in our country in the future.
Bird hazards are a major danger factor for aircraft in Eastern Africa and elsewhere and bird control is the duty of the respective airports, to ensure planes can safely take off and land without incidents.
Bird strikes, when they take place, regularly require engine replacements and changes of other external components damaged by the heavy impact.
This correspondent had in a more timely manner already reported about the incident yesterday evening and the article has been posted under the following link: https://atcnews.org/2018/12/09/precisionair-atr72-suffers-bird-strikes-prior-to-landing-in-mwanza/
