Latest news with #CessnaCitation560
The Star
07-08-2025
- General
- The Star
2nd LD-Writethru: Light aircraft with 4 onboard crashes in Kenya capital
NAIROBI, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- At least six people were confirmed dead and two others injured after a light aircraft belonging to AMREF Flying Doctors crashed in a residential area on the outskirts of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, a government official confirmed. "We have six people dead. The four who were on board and two on the ground. Two others were injured on the ground," said Kiambu County Commissioner Henry Wafula. He noted that among those deceased were four medical personnel onboard the Cessna Citation 560 ambulance aircraft with registration 5Y-FDM, as well as two members of the public at the crash scene. According to Wafula, the injured, including an elderly woman, were rushed to a local hospital. Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) Director-General Emile Arao said in a statement that the aircraft took off from Wilson Airport in Nairobi at 2:14 p.m. local time en route to Hargeisa in northern Somalia. It crashed three minutes later in the Mwihoko area. "We are deeply saddened by this tragic incident involving an air ambulance mission. Our immediate priority is to support rescue efforts and provide all necessary assistance to the families affected," Arao said. Kenya Defence Forces and National Police Service are leading the search and rescue efforts at the crash site, according to the statement. The Air Accident Investigation Department has dispatched a team to investigate the cause of the crash. AMREF also confirmed the accident, saying it was cooperating fully with aviation authorities and emergency responders to establish the circumstances surrounding the crash. AMREF Chief Executive Officer Stephen Gitau said in a separate statement that their immediate focus is on the safety and well-being of those on board and providing full support to their families and colleagues. "We are also offering all necessary assistance to the authorities as investigations continue," Gitau added. Images from the scene showed the wreckage engulfed in flames as witnesses watched from a distance.
The Star
07-08-2025
- General
- The Star
1st LD: Light aircraft with 4 onboard crashes in Kenya capital
NAIROBI, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- A light aircraft carrying four people crashed Thursday in a residential area on the outskirts of Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) said in a statement. The accident involved a Cessna Citation 560 air ambulance, registration 5Y-FDM, which took off from Wilson Airport in Nairobi at 2:14 p.m. local time en route to Hargeisa in northern Somalia. It crashed three minutes later in the Mwihoko area, the statement said. KCAA Director-General Emile Arao said the aircraft, operated by AMREF Flying Doctors, went down under unclear circumstances. He did not disclose the fate of those on board. "We are deeply saddened by this tragic incident involving an air ambulance mission. Our immediate priority is to support rescue efforts and provide all necessary assistance to the families affected," Arao said. Kenya Defence Forces and National Police Service are leading the search and rescue efforts at the crash site, according to the statement. The Air Accident Investigation Department has dispatched a team to investigate the cause of the crash. AMREF also confirmed the accident, saying it was cooperating fully with aviation authorities and emergency responders to establish the circumstances surrounding the crash. AMREF Chief Executive Officer Stephen Gitau said in a separate statement that their immediate focus is on the safety and well-being of those on board and providing full support to their families and colleagues. "We are also offering all necessary assistance to the authorities as investigations continue," Gitau added. Images from the scene showed the wreckage engulfed in flames as witnesses watched from a distance.
TimesLIVE
14-05-2025
- General
- TimesLIVE
Lack of oxygen likely caused 2023 air crash that prompted Washington, DC scare
A lack of oxygen likely incapacitated the pilot of a Cessna Citation 560 in June 2023 that prompted the US military to scramble F-16 fighter jets before the private jet crashed in Virginia, killing all four occupants, a final report said on Tuesday. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it is likely the pilot and three passengers became incapacitated during the aircraft's climb to cruise altitude. The board said it appeared the plane was on autopilot at the time when it crossed into restricted airspace around Washington. Maintenance records raised questions about the issues around the pressurisation and environmental control system weeks before that the crash the owner had declined to address. The jet fighters created a sonic boom over the US capital region as they pursued the errant Cessna. A Cessna Citation can carry seven to 12 passengers. The US military attempted to contact the pilot, who was unresponsive, until the Cessna crashed in mountains in Montebello, Virginia near the George Washington National Forest. The Cessna began the day at its home airport in Melbourne, Florida, and later took off from Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Tennessee. It was bound for Long Island MacArthur Airport in New York, about 80km east of Manhattan. The NTSB said the plane reached the airport and then made nearly a 180-degree turn. The airplane was intercepted by US air force fighter aircraft minutes before it crashed. Pilots observed a person seated in the left cockpit seat slumped completely over into the right seat who remained motionless and unresponsive to radio transmissions, intercept flight manoeuvres and flare deployments. Incidents involving unresponsive pilots are not unprecedented. Golfer Payne Stewart died in 1999 along with five others after the aircraft he was in flew thousands of kilometres with the pilot and passengers unresponsive. The plane eventually crashed in South Dakota with no survivors. In the case of Stewart's flight, the plane lost cabin pressure, causing the occupants to lose consciousness because of oxygen deprivation.
