Kilimanjaro Region

The aircraft was on a base training flight at Kilimanjaro International Airport. At 0410 hrs it was cleared to the local flying area for upper air works, followed by VOR/ILS approaches to runway 09 via NDB KB. 5H-PAC took off and proceeded to the local flying area where the crew members did upper air works for about 30 minutes. According to the commander, these included clean and dirty stalls, level flights at different speeds, 45 degree turns left and right and exercises on unusual attitudes. Subsequent to these they returned to the airport via NDB KB for ILS approach to runway 09. They carried out a missed approach and proceeded to join RH circuits for touch-and-go operations on runway 09. The last operations before the accident was simulated engine failure after take off followed by single engine overshoot, this time using runway 27. This was approved and the commander was reminded that the surface wind was 090 degrees 08 knots. The aircraft turned left and positioned on right base for runway 27. It was subsequently given a landing clearance. The weather at the material time was fine with temperature 23 degrees Celsius. The controller, who was handling the flight, said that the final approach was perfect. The landing gear was down. The aircraft passed the threshold of runway 27 at about 70 feet above the ground and continued to flare on a straight and level attitude with the landing gear retracted. It continued in this attitude for a distance of about one and a half kilometers down the runway subsequent to which it drifted off the runway to the right. The controller asked the pilot to explain his intentions. There was no reply. Instead, the aircraft was observed to yaw violently as it drifted further to the right. Moments later, it impacted the ground on a grass hedge and skidded along the width of taxiway Y before it came to rest. The commander said that he repossessed the controls immediately when the aircraft started yawing but there was no time effect recovery. There was fuel spillage but fire did not break out. The two pilots, who had not put on their shoulder straps, sustained facial injuries.

On 1 November 1997 at 09:46 hours 5H-AZM took off from Nairobi Wilson airport, for a visual flight rules flight to Zanzibar International Airport, Tanzania. It was carrying one pilot and some cargo. There were no passengers. The flight plan indicated that the aircraft had 0330 hours of fuel on departure. The pilot planned' to fly a direct route to Zanzibar with Dar-es-salaam International airport as his alternate aerodrome. After take off from Nairobi Wilson, the flight transited the southern axis lane of the Nairobi control Zone to the zone boundary. The pilot checked the Nairobi zone boundary with Nairobi Wilson Tower and was instructed by air traffic control to contact the Nairobi Control Centre. No contact was reported established by Nairobi Control with 5H-AZM. 5H-AZM contacted the Kilimanjaro Control Tower at 10:20 hours and passed his own ward estimates as Flight Information Region 10:25 hours and arrival at Zanzibar at 11:40 hours. 5H-AZM was advised that there was no reported traffic for the flight in the Kilimanjaro Terminal Control area at 'the VFR flight level 115, and at the same time instructed the aircraft to contact Dar-es-salaam Control on 119.6 MHz when in range. No further transmission was received from the aircraft. It also failed to arrive in Zanzibar. Unfruitful formal searches (involving communications, aerial and ground searches) were mounted on 3 November 1997 along the probable route area in Kenya and Tanzania. The formal search was terminated on 4 December 1997 and there after the missing aircraft incident was considered to be an 'accident. Wreckage was eventually located in the Kibo Crater near the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania on 28 August 2003, almost six years later. The wreckage of the Piper PA 31-350 was found at 15,400 feet on the Kibo wing. It was also 30 nautical miles west of its projected track. The aircraft had earlier been cleared to climb from 9,500 feet to 11,500 feet under visual flight rules.

While cruising at the altitude of 10,500 feet in marginal weather conditions, enroute from Dar es-Salaam to Nairobi, the airplane struck the southeast slope of Mawenzi Peak (the second highest peak of Mt KIlimanjaro). The wreckage was reached by rescuers on May 22. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 20 occupants have been killed. At the time of the accident, the mountain was shrouded by clouds and the visibility was poor.