Accident | |
---|---|
Date | 10 April 2006 |
Summary | Controlled flight into terrain in bad weather |
Site | Mount Marsabit, Kenya |
Aircraft | |
Aircraft type | Harbin Y-12 II |
Operator | Kenya Air Force |
Registration | KAF132[1] |
Flight origin | Moi Air Base |
Destination | Marsabit Airport |
Occupants | 17 |
Passengers | 13 |
Crew | 4 |
Fatalities | 14 |
Survivors | 3 [2] |
On 10 April 2006, a Kenya Air Force Harbin Y-12 crashed in Marsabit County in Kenya as it approached the Marsabit air strip. The crash killed 14 passengers, including a number of politicians.[3]
The flight to the region was to mediate a feud between rival communities at the Ethiopia–Kenya border.[4]
The aircraft involved in the crash was a 6-year-old twin-engine turboprop Harbin Y-12 II, with registration KAF132. It was delivered to the Kenyan Air Force in 2006.[2] The aircraft was powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27 engines.[citation needed]
The plane crashed due to poor weather over Marsabit Hill.[5] Heavy fog caused the plane to crash as it approached the runway.[6]
The Kenyan President, Mwai Kibaki issued a statement appealing for calm and prayers and said the Kenyan government had sent two planes to assist in the rescue and recovery efforts.
He also added that he had received the news with shock and disbelief, especially since the delegation of officials onboard the plane were headed to a peace mission in Marsabit.[7][8]