AAID report: Adverse weather likely cause of Kwale plane crash
The 53-page report on the crash concluded that it occurred just minutes after takeoff amid adverse weather conditions.
Heavy fog and rain, leading to decreased visibility, may have caused the October 28 Cessna 208B crash that killed a pilot and 10 passengers on board at Tsimba Golini, Matuga Sub-County in Kwale County.
This is according to a preliminary report published by the Ministry of Transport's Aircraft Accident Investigation Department (AAID) on Friday, November 28, 2025.
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The 53-page report on the crash concluded that it occurred just minutes after takeoff amid adverse weather conditions.
"At the time of the accident, the weather conditions at Ukunda Airport, along the flight path, and in Matuga, Kwale region and its environs were low clouds and decreased visibility caused by heavy fog and rain. There are no available navigational aids at the departure and destination aerodromes," the report says.
The investigations established that the aircraft left Ukunda in great shape and with adequate fuel but lost contact with the Moi International Airport, Mombasa's control tower, which had been notified by Ukunda Airport of the flight's departure to Maasai Mara and granted approval with no access but with instructions not to fly above 3,500 feet.
The flight kept in touch with the two towers, both of which expected it to land in the game reserve at 10:35 after taking off at 8:25.
However, at 08:36 am, the Moi International Airport, Mombasa's (HKMO) control tower contacted the pilot, but there was no response, nor could the tower spot the aircraft on its display.
"At 05:37:40 (08:37:40), HKMO tower contacted HKMO Approach to inform them of the disappearance of 5Y-CCA from the radar screen. At 05:38:46 (08:38:46), HKMO tower contacted 5Y-CCA for the last time in vain. The last HKMO radar screen track was captured at 08:33:54," the findings show.
All other efforts to contact the pilot were in vain, and the aircraft was found to have crashed in a hilly forested area at Tsimba Golini in Matuga Subcounty, Kwale County, with all 11 persons on board the aircraft suffering fatal injuries.
"The aircraft was found to have collided with terrain on a hilly forested area in a sparsely populated area of Tsimba Golini after taking off from Ukunda airport in Kwale County at about 0525:33 (0825:13) on a scheduled, commercial passenger flight to Kichwa Tembo airstrip in the Maasai Mara game reserve of Narok County," the report says.
The aircraft impacted the slight slope terrain in a high-energy, nose-down attitude.
Part of the aircraft's front section was buried in the ground at about 2.2 metres and required the services of an excavator to retrieve the fragmented aircraft parts.
As a result, all the occupants, the Kenyan pilot and 10 foreigners, comprising eight Hungarian nationals, two German nationals, suffered fatal injuries, and the aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and resultant fire
"At the time of the accident, Instrument Meteorological conditions (IMC) existed in the area. Investigation into identifying the probable cause(s) of the accident is ongoing," the report adds.
Residents who were the first responders to the crash site alerted the local administration before an emergency response from multiple government agencies, including a fire engine from the Kwale County offices, arrived.
The AAID was informed of the crash via a phone call from the Moi International Airport Air Traffic Control in Mombasa, who deployed investigators to the crash site to conduct an initial on-site investigation and witness interviews.
It found the aircraft was destroyed on impact with the terrain, and part of it was consumed by the resultant fire courtesy of the high-energy, nose-down fall.
Part of the aircraft's front section was buried in the ground at about 2.2 metres and required the services of an excavator to retrieve the fragmented aircraft parts. The debris of the main crash site was strewn over an area of 29 metres by 22 metres.
The report notes that remnants of the aircraft's seat were found at the initial point of impact, damaged by impact forces and consumed by fire.
A part of the mid-section of the cabin was also found on top of nearby trees, forward of the initial point of impact at a height of about 6m to 10m, while small parts of the fuselage's mid and aft sections, and the tail plane were found forward of the initial point of impact at varied distances
The preliminary findings concluded that the accident was not survivable.
"At the time of the accident, eyewitnesses reported the weather conditions in Matuga, Kwale region, and its environs as low clouds and decreased visibility caused by heavy fog and rain. Similar weather condition was observed at the time and airport of departure."
After the initial on-site investigation phase, the occurrence was classified as an "Accident" in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation's (ICAO).
"Fragments of the engine's gearbox, compressor, and all propeller blades were excavated from the wreckage site. The recovered parts will be examined further at the engine manufacturer's facility in the USA. The history of the commercial flight registration number 5Y-CCA shows it was manufactured by Textron Aviation Inc. and acquired by Mombasa Air Safari Limited in 2013," the report says.
Later, AAID received support from a representative of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the United States of America, the aircraft's accident investigation authority of the State of Design and Manufacture of the aircraft, and another from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB)- the aircraft accident investigation authority of the State of Manufacture of the engine.
At the time of the accident, it had been declared airworthy with a valid Certificate of Airworthiness in the Commercial Air Transport (Passengers) Category, valid for the period between August 28, 2025, to August 27, 2026.
At the same time, the aircraft's technical logbook indicated no Accepted Deferred Defects, and its fueling records indicated that 879 litres of fuel were topped up on the eve of the flight.
The aircraft was not equipped with flight recorders as it is not a requirement by KCAA regulations for this category of aircraft.
Records provided by the operator further show that the pilot was employed in July 2025 and that at the time of the accident, the 39-year-old pilot held an Airline Transport Pilot License – Aeroplanes with Instruments Rating issued by the KCAA and valid until June 17, 2026.
He also held a Commercial Pilot license (CPL - Aeroplanes) issued by the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UGCAA) on the strength of a Kenyan CPL (A) valid until February 24, 2026, and also held a class 1 medical certificate with no restrictions, valid until August 4, 2026.
"Medical and pathological reports-Results of the ongoing Pathological examination and Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) testing for identification purposes will be determined by medical experts in close collaboration with the National Police Service, and all the other involved stakeholders locally and abroad. The injuries suffered by all occupants were consistent with the crash dynamics."
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