Teacher and Student Die in Kajiado Plane Crash During Training Exercise
Two people, including a teacher and a student, have died after a small aircraft crashed during a routine training exercise in Kipeto, Kajiado County, on Friday, September 18.
Kajiado West Police Commander Maureen Kuto confirmed the accident, saying the aircraft had two people on board when it crashed in the Kipeto area near a wind power plant.
Kuto said the student died at the scene, while the teacher succumbed to injuries while being rushed to Kajiado Referral Hospital for treatment.
“When we received a phone call, we were alerted that an aircraft had been involved in an accident and had two people on board, a student and a teacher. The first victim succumbed at the scene while the second succumbed while being rushed to hospital,” she said.
Poor Visibility Blamed for Crash
According to the police commander, preliminary reports indicated that poor visibility caused by heavy morning mist may have contributed to the crash.
“The preliminary cause of the aircraft accident is poor visibility that was occasioned by poor visibility in the morning as a result of the mist,” Kuto added.
She explained that the pilot attempted to make a crash landing after encountering the poor visibility, but the aircraft ultimately went down.
“There was a lot of mist in the morning, so they tried to crash-land, but unfortunately the aircraft crashed,” she revealed.
Wreckage Scattered Across Field
Images obtained by Kenyans.co.ke and widely circulated on social media showed the wreckage of the aircraft scattered across a dry, open field following the crash.
Several people, including emergency responders wearing protective clothing, could be seen gathered around the extensively damaged aircraft as they examined the wreckage.
Pieces of the aircraft’s metal casing, luggage believed to belong to the occupants, and other items were scattered across the crash site, depicting the extent of the accident.
Security officers and emergency response teams were also at the scene as officials began assessing the circumstances surrounding the crash.
Investigation Underway
Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident. The aircraft involved in the training exercise has not been publicly identified, and it remains unclear which flight school or institution the victims were affiliated with.
The crash adds to a series of aviation incidents in Kenya in recent months, raising questions about training safety and weather-related risks.