AMREF plane crash: Flight data recorder sent to US for analysis
Kenya, being the country where the aircraft was registered, operated and where the accident took place, is required to notify the countries responsible for the design and manufacture of both the aircraft and its engines.
The tragic air crash that claimed six lives in Mwihoko, Kiambu County, is now under international investigation, with the aircraft’s black box data recorder sent to the United States for detailed analysis.
The crash, which involved an AMREF Flying Doctors aircraft, occurred on the afternoon of August 7, 2025, killing six people and injuring two.
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In a statement, Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir said the Cessna Citation 560XLS, registration 5Y-FDM, took off from Wilson Airport at 2:14 pm on a medical evacuation mission to Egal International Airport in Hargeisa, Somaliland.
It was operating under Instrument Flight Rules and had four people on board - two pilots, a doctor, and a nurse.
Three minutes after takeoff, at around 2:17 pm, the aircraft crashed in Mwihoko, Ruiru sub-county, hitting a residential building adjacent to A.I.P.C.A. Ngatho Church. The impact caused a fire that destroyed both the aircraft and part of the building.
“All four occupants on board the aircraft and two persons on the ground suffered fatal injuries while two others on the ground suffered serious injuries,” Chirchir said.
AMREF Flying Doctors confirmed the identities of the four crew members who perished as Captain Muthuka Munuve, Captain Brian Kimani Miaro, Dr Charles Mugo Njoroge, and nurse Jane Rispah Aluoch Omusula.
Emergency responders drawn from multiple government agencies arrived at the scene shortly after the incident.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Department (AAID) deployed a team to begin investigations, including conducting on-site assessments and interviewing witnesses.
Under international aviation protocols outlined in Annexe 13 of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), Kenya, being the country where the aircraft was registered, operated and where the accident took place, is required to notify the countries responsible for the design and manufacture of both the aircraft and its engines.
As a result, the AAID officially notified the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is overseeing the investigation as the representative of the aircraft’s State of Design and Manufacture. The NTSB appointed an Accredited Representative (ACCREP) to collaborate with Kenyan authorities.
Similarly, Canada’s Transportation Safety Board (TSB), responsible for the manufacture of the aircraft's engines, was also informed and appointed its own Accredited Representative. ICAO was also duly notified.
To support the investigation, the engine manufacturer Pratt and Whitney Canada has assigned a technical advisor.
AMREF Flying Doctors and the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) have each deployed observers to take part in the investigation under ICAO guidelines.
Investigators successfully recovered the aircraft’s Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) from the crash site. These critical pieces of equipment have been dispatched to the NTSB's laboratory in the United States for analysis.
“The joint FDR and CVR readout and analysis exercise will be conducted in the last week of September and the first week of October 2025 with the participation of AAID investigators, Accredited Representatives, and observers,” Chirchir said.
He added that the investigation into the probable cause of the crash is still ongoing.
The release of the preliminary report, as the CS stated, aims to keep the public and the aviation industry informed about the progress of the investigation.
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