Peter Ng'etich
Nairobi
Lokichoggio airstrip remained closed to air traffic for the second day after two cargo planes crashed.
All traffic was re-directed to Kakuma airstrip or Eldoret airport as investigators from the Kenya Airports Authority and the Kenya Airports Police Unit looked into the cause of the crash.
The wrecks of the two aircraft were yesterday being removed from the runway. The two aircraft are a cargo plane Reg No 5Y SFE belonging to 748 Air Services and piloted by a Canadian identified as Scott Peterson, co-piloted by Rashid Hussein and a Hercules C-130 plane Reg No S9-BAS piloted by South African national Wilson Mackinon.
Turkana District Commissioner Njenga Miiri confirmed the incident but said that there were no casualties.
It was reported that the pilot of the first plane crash-landed on the runway after his landing gear failed while the pilot of the second plane owned by Transafrique but leased by the United Nations World Food Programme hit the first plane while attempting to land on the narrow runway.
Other cargo planes which carry relief food to southern Sudan were instructed to land at Elobeid Airport in southern Sudan following the incident.
Lokichoggio Catholic Justice and Peace Commission coordinator Peter Moru said the passenger plane with two pilots and a hostess crashed-landed on the Lokichoggio runway as it tried to land.
The second aircraft crashed as the airstrip's personnel were trying to clear the runway of the first plane's wreckage at 2.55 pm. The cargo plane had two pilots also and three crew members.
The pilot had been asked to proceed to Eldoret by the crew as the runway was blocked, but he said he had no fuel and he thought he could manoeuvre his way.
The cargo plane was coming back from southern Sudan after dropping relief in the region.
The passenger plane was from Elobeid Airport in Sudan.
This link for pictures of S9-BAS
http://www.aerotransport.org/php/go.php?q=regn+S9-BAS