Aircraft’s tyre bursts on runway at Wilson Airport

A Safarilink aircraft with ten passengers on board had a tyre burst at Wilson Airport on Tuesday evening shortly after landing from Lamu.

The airplane of registration number 5Y-SLJ skidded off the runway at 6:25pm after its tyre exploded.

As at the time of going to press, efforts were underway to remove the aircraft from the scene.

No fatalities or injuries have been reported.

An official at the Wilson Airport confirmed the incident to K24 Digital on phone.

This comes just a day after a Silverstone plane travelling from Lodwar made an emergency landing at the Eldoret International Airport after it lost one of its rear tyres.

On board were nine people — four passengers and five members of crew.

One of the Silverstone officials, who declined to be mentioned, told K24 Digital: “The captain of the plane decided to land at the Eldoret International Airport in the interests of the continued safety of the passengers and crew.” 

The official said that the emergency-landing was purely a precautionary action.

Uasin Gishu County Commander, Johnstone Ipara, while speaking to our K24’s Eldoret-based correspondent, Timothy Simwa, confirmed that they received reports from their counterparts in Lodwar that the aircraft had a technical problem, which necessitated an emergency-landing.

“We put measures in place to ensure that those on board alighted safely,” Johnstone Ipara said.

“Nobody was injured, nobody panicked or fainted, all of them walked out safely," he said.

The county police boss warned those spreading fake news on social media against doing so as it "caused anxiety and fear among family members of the people who were on board the Silverstone plane".

“Those spreading the ‘purported’ right information on social media must always strive to get the right information before they feed Kenyans with misinformation that may cause fear and panic, particularly to the families of those on board,” said Ipara.

“Through the proper training the pilot has undergone, he was able to land safely, and in a professional way,” he added.

Meanwhile, a Parliamentary committee on Tuesday, October 29, summoned Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) and Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) to appear on Friday to shed light on the level of regulatory compliance of local airlines.

The National Assembly Committee on Transport and Public works also invited Transport and Infrastructure Cabinet Secretary, James Macharia, and his Principal Secretary, Esther Koimett, to explain the status, safety, approved manuals and procedures of all operating commercial airlines

The Transport ministry houses the Aircraft Accident Investigations Directorate, which is mandated to carry out investigations to establish causes of air accidents and make appropriate recommendations.

This followed a series of incidents by a privately-owned airline, Silverstone Air, which risked the safety of its clients.

“We want KCAA to tell Parliament and the country; the age and manufacture date of the two aircrafts belonging to Silverstone Air,” Pokot South MP David Pkosing, who chairs the committee told a press conference on Tuesday.

Pkosing was flanked by MPs Rigathi Gachagua (Mathira), Mugambi Rindikiri (Buuri) and Kosgei Kipkoech (Sotik).

“We also want to know the last time Silverstone Air aircrafts were inspected for air safety and who did the inspection that gave the planes a clean bill of health despite being air unworthy,” he added.

In addition, Pkosing said KCAA, which is responsible for regulating the aviation industry and providing air navigation services in Kenya will provide information on the fleet of aircraft that operate from Wilson Airport.

“Most Kenyans travel via Wilson Airport to various destinations. We need KCAA to tell us by way of chronology, the age of aircrafts operated by local airlines from the Wilson Airport,” the committee chairman said.

Some of the commercial local airlines include Kenya Airways, Five Forty Aviation Ltd (trading as Fly540), African Express Airways, AirKenya Express and Jambojet.

Others are Silverstone Air Services Ltd, trading as Silverstone Air, Safarilink Aviation, Skyward International Aviation, Queensway Air Services among others.

(Additional reporting by Angela Cheror and Hillary Mageka)