so the accident happened last Tuesday. We did 2 flights to rescue our colleagues and passengers. All were released within a coupla days. That includes the 4 dead ones according to a lousy local newspaper.
On the Wednesday, the colleagues were finally released and we had had time to make plans to fly there the next day, and drive later on if the parts to salvage were worth such a long bush trip (luckily for me they were).
My remaining colleague and pilot, our financial director (for her first flight with us, that was quite one serious trip), an inspector, then a veteran and former colleague joined the gang, and myself flew to Empakai crater on Thursday. The inspector was most impressed by the special airstrip and the surroundings! But he decided that nevertheless the conditions were impressive and far away from the books, we had done well over the years.
After landing we took a short walk towards the wreck, a few hundred meters away
mountainous terrain, slopes and ravines at 6500 ft.
the green bag contains basic tools.
Oldonyo Lengai, the majestic volcano. A deity locally but that didn’t prevent the accident…
our Masai watchmen on duty. Nothing was stolen, they did a good job. They just borrowed the airplane seats and made themselves comfy. They also had gathered all the spread out things from the aircraft under the retrieved belly pod, that’s the thing with the red cross that had been ripped off on impact 30 meters away after which the plane bounced and flipped over.
we were a bit shocked and in awe on the spot: the wreck looks way worse seen up close than from the air!
The nose is quite mangled, the engine had been ripped off and is now lying just right of the aircraft.
The airstrip is on the ridge up there…
to be continued…
the airstrip lays at 6500 ft in mountainous area on a crater slope. A non turbo 206 can't go around there. So when the plane got too low and slow, maybe in back curve, the pilot tried a U turn in the adjacent narrow valley but hit the other side of that valley and flip over.
indeed frightening...
Posted by: ben wilhelmi | 21 September 2013 at 09:37 PM
Can I please know what the cause of the accident was? Anyway, thanks for sharing the photos. The aircraft wreck was frightening!
Posted by: AvionTEq | 08 August 2013 at 04:55 AM