Investigation Summary
Both aircraft were operating from Wilson Airport in visual conditions and air traffic control had passed traffic information to each of them; the advisory to the departing Dash 8 placed 5Y-NNJ "now on crosswind of zero seven for circuits". Radar playback puts the collision at approximately 6,100 ft, slightly above the 6,000 ft the Dash 8 crew recalled. The Cessna's lower empennage contacted the Dash 8's right horizontal stabilizer de-icing boot; the Cessna's horizontal stabilizer separated in flight in three pieces and the aircraft crashed 1.663 NM inside Nairobi National Park. There was no fire and the ELT did not activate. Damage to the Dash 8 was minor, limited to a missing 99 mm section of the right horizontal stabilizer de-icing boot, and the preliminary report records no other damage to the aircraft. Its CVR and FDR were recovered in good condition and sent to the TSB in Canada for readout. The report also notes the operator's own reporting of at least ten conflicting-traffic occurrences in the preceding twelve months and six near misses in the Wilson (HKNW) airspace.
Final Conclusions
The only document published is the AAID Preliminary Report 01/03/2024 Rev 1. It states that the ongoing investigation "will establish the facts, circumstances, conditions, causes or probable cause". No interim or final report exists and no cause, contributing factor or line of inquiry has been announced.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Crew Experience
Pilot in Command
ATPL holder, flying the DHC-8-315Q.
Pilot in Command
CPL holder, flying the Cessna 172M.
Systems & Failure Modes
Horizontal Stabilizer
The Dash 8's right-hand horizontal stabilizer leading edge was the primary point of contact during the collision.
TCAS
Traffic Collision Avoidance System. The Cessna 172M carried no TCAS, and the preliminary report records no finding about alerting on either aircraft.
Interesting Facts
- 01The Dash 8 (5Y-SLK) carried 44 people; the Cessna 172M (5Y-NNJ) carried an instructor and a student pilot, both killed.
- 02Damage to the Dash 8 was minor: a 99 mm section missing from the right horizontal stabilizer de-icing boot, with no other damage recorded.
- 03The Cessna's horizontal stabilizer separated in flight in three pieces after its lower empennage struck the Dash 8's stabilizer boot.
- 04Radar playback puts the collision at about 6,100 ft, against the 6,000 ft recalled by the Dash 8 crew.
- 05The Dash 8's CVR and FDR were recovered in good condition; the preliminary report states they will be read out at the TSB in Canada.
- 06The instructor had about 673 flying hours and the student 48.7; the Dash 8 captain had 7,547.5 hours.
- 07The Cessna wreckage lay 1.663 NM inside Nairobi National Park; there was no fire and the ELT did not activate.
- 08The operator reported at least ten conflicting-traffic occurrences in twelve months and six near misses in Wilson airspace.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Preliminary report published
Source ↗Kenya's Aircraft Accident Investigation Department published Preliminary Report 01/03/2024 Rev 1. It contains no findings, cause or safety recommendations.
Location
APPROXIMATE AREA ONLY · This position predates coordinate provenance tracking. Treat it as an approximate marker for the area, not the accident site. No map is shown, because a marker here would imply a precision the record does not have.
Reported location: Nairobi National Park, Kenya