Uganda: Entebbe Plane Disaster Blamed On Human Error
The Monitor (Kampala)
15 February 2008
Tabu Butagira
Kampala
AFTER four months of intensive work with forensic examinations across three continents, investigators into the September 26, 2007 fatal plane crash at Entebbe International airport have concluded that human error apparently caused the 8-seater Cessna aircraft to crash.
"On examination of the plane wreckage," said Mr Simon Ejua - the state minister for transport, "the (investigation) team found that the rudder trim was set to the full left at the time of the accident as opposed to the normal (central) take off setting".
The rudder trim is a control device that helps aircraft pilots or boat captains adjust aero- or hydro-dynamic forces and stabilise the vessel or aircraft in a particular desired attitude, according to the Wikepedia.
"Since the rudder trim was set to full left position, it forced the aircraft to veer to the left during take off," minister Ejua said. Mr Moses Adriko, the chairman of the 5-member Ugandan probe team, handed over the findings to the governmnet yesterday, declaring thus: "The investigative team determines that the probable cause of the accident was in-flight loss of control due to loss of airspeed and subsequent stall of the aircraft at low altitude".
Eyewitnesses interviewed told the probe team that the aircraft took off normally in clear weather from Runway 17 at Entebbe airport and appeared to be climbing normally until it attained an altitude of 1,500 meters when it suddenly hurtled down and crashed.
The South African pilot, Erard Keyter and the technician, Selina Mareme from Botswana, who South African-based Fugro Airborne Surveys (Pty) Ltd Company had employed to carry out mineral explorations in the country, died instantly.
Minister Ejua, flanked by Civil Aviation Authority Board chairman Zephania Baliddawa and Managing Director Ambrose Akandonda said the deceased would be compensated by their insurers and not the Uganda government because "there was no fault on our part".
The investigators, who began their work on September 27, 2007, after assessing the operational factors; inspecting the accident site, studying the plane wreckage and testing its different parts, concluded that the plane was "airworthy both mechanically and structurally".
Daily Monitor has learnt that the tests were done in South Africa, France (in Europe) and the United States.
The Uganda government has promised to send copies of the report to South Africa, where the plane was registered and pilot licenced and also to the manufacturers in France to inform their operational decisions of Reims/Cessna aircrafts.
"The ministry of transport is going to review the report in consultation with various stakeholders, including CAA and airline operators in the country," minister Ejua said yesterday, adding: "The necessary remedial actions will be undertaken to avoid re-occurrence of similar accidents in future".
The other members of the Mr Adriko-led probe team included the team secretary, Ms Patiricia Asiimwe, a Senior State Attorney in the office of the Attorney General, Mr Ben Kwobe - a Principal Airworthiness Surveyor, Mr Robert Ntambi (Senior Air Transport Regulation officer in the ministry of Works) and Captain Paul Tamale, a senior pilot with DAS Air cargo.