Three journalists working for Royal Media and a pilot today escaped death by a whisker after a light aircraft they were on board crashed shortly after taking off at Wilson Airport, Nairobi.
The four sustained minor injuries and were rushed to Nairobi Hospital.
The aircraft, a Cessna 206 registration number 5Y PEB crashed in Lang’ata near National Housing Corporation apartments.
Preliminary investigations show the six capacity light aircraft could have developed mechanical failure.
“The three journalists sustained minor injuries but the pilot was badly hurt. They have been rushed to the hospital.” One officer involved in the rescue effort said.
Director of Airwing Captain Rodgers Mbithi was not immediately available as his phone went unanswered.
The journalists Mauritius Oduor and Sam Ogina from Citizen TV and Joseph Njane from Radio Citizen were en route to Baringo County to cover National Super Alliance (Nasa) political rally.
Nasa presidential candidate Raila Odinga wished the media crew a quick recovery noting that journalists have made many sacrifices in nation building.
“On behalf of the National Super Alliance and myself, I extend deep sympathy, best wishes and prayers for quick recovery to the journalists from the Royal Media Services who sustained injuries today when their plane crashed shortly after taking off to Baringo from Nairobi.” Raila said.
Rescuers gathered at the scene as emergency services evacuated the four on board to hospital.
A team of investigators from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (Kcaa) also visited the scene to commence investigations into the cause of the crash.
However, sources within the aviation sector intimated many aircrafts are almost obsolete due to old age.
There has been a series of plane and copter crashes which portray a grim picture of possible existence of crisis in the aviation sector.
Last year, an aircraft instructor and a trainee after a plane crashed during training session in Kibiku Forest within Ngong.
The Cessna 152 aircraft registration number 5Y-NNC belongs to Ninety Nines Flying School based at Wilson Airport.
A week before, three officers were injured during an aerial surveillance after a police chopper crashed at National Youth Service grounds in Nairobi.
In 2012, a Eurocopter aircraft crashed in killing the then Internal Security Minister George Saitoti, his assistant Orwa Ojode, pilots and bodyguards.
