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Precision Air crash, Lake Victoria

Sadly, just picked this up from Reuters https://www.reuters.com/world/africa...ia-2022-11-06/

"... continuing to rescue other passengers trapped in the plane" doesn't sound good.

Tanzania crashTanzanian passenger plane crashes (or overruns) or shorts into Lake Victoria next to the north-western town of Bukoba.

More than 20 of the 49 passengers have been rescued, according to local media, but this still has to be officially confirmed.
One end of the runway at Bukoba airport lies right next to the shore of Lake Victoria, Africa's largest lake.
T-tail still visible above the surface.
The Precision Air flight going from Tanzania's biggest city, Das es Salaam, to Bukoba via Mwanza when it reportedly encountered a storm and heavy rains.

Possibly some similarities with the Lion Air arrival into the sea just short of the runway in Bali, and Air Niugini into Chuuk Lagoon.

Both of these involved a cocked up non precision approach in bad weather and a go around which didn’t happen.

This must have been a difficult approach for the crew from the SE with rapidly intensifiying storm cells over the lake.

Sat loop

According to some passenger reports (via Avherald), that was their 2nd approach to the airfield.

Also, there are no published instrument approaches for Bukoba.

Odd.......

Quote:

The two pilots survived the crash and were in touch with rescue workers from the cockpit before reporting that their oxygen supply was dwindling, Albert Chalamila, chief administrator of Tanzania's Kagera region, told Reuters. They were dead when rescue workers reached them, but the two flight attendants survived, he said.

BBC pictures show the island beyond the plane, so most likely an overrun. A pretty basic airfield. The pilots may have drowned as their oxygen ran out - awful way to end your career.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Timmy Tomkins (Post 11326680)

BBC pictures show the island beyond the plane, so most likely an overrun. A pretty basic airfield. The pilots may have drowned as their oxygen ran out - awful way to end your career.

I suggest that the aircraft may well have spun around either during or after impact. The direction it's facing when it has come to rest does not mean anything (especially in water).

Locked flight deck door perhaps? Wasn't there a crash at Amsterdam when the rescue crew couldn't get to the pilots?
I retired before that policy came in. I would have hated it. I can't be sure that my sanity would have survived being imprisoned like that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackharr (Post 11326823)

Doesn't the flight deck incorporate some form of emergency exit, Jettison able window, fire axe etc? If not isn't that a H&S issue for the crew? After all the passengers have them (not axes but everything else) ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by uxb99 (Post 11326848)

There is a roof hatch. See the third photo in this case, which also involved entry into the water. Accident: Niugini AT42 at Madang on Oct 19th 2013, overran runway on rejected takeoff

Quote:

A fisherman who was one of the first responders at the site of Sunday's plane crash which killed 19 people in Tanzania's Lake Victoria, has described how he tried to save the pilots stuck in the cockpit and how he nearly lost his life trying to rescue them.

Majaliwa Jackson has been officially declared a hero, awarded 1 million Tanzanian shillings ($430; £370), and offered a job in the fire and rescue brigade for his efforts.

Speaking to the BBC from his hospital bed in the lakeside town of Bukoba before the government announcement, Mr Jackson said he panicked as he saw the passenger plane approach from the wrong direction, before plunging into the lake.

He rushed to the scene with three fellow fishermen and helped to open the rear door by smashing it with a rowing oar which helped passengers seated towards the rear of the plane to be rescued.

Mr Jackson said he then moved to the front and dived into the water. He and one of the pilots then communicated with each other by making signs through the cockpit window.

"He directed me to break the window screen. I emerged from the water and asked airport security, who had arrived, if they have any tools that we can use to smash the screen.

"They gave me an axe, but I was stopped by a man with a public announcement speaker from going down and smashing the screen. He said they were already in communication with the pilots and there was no water leakage in the cockpit," Mr Jackson said.

He added that after being stopped he "dived back and waved goodbye to the pilot".

But the pilot then indicated that he still wanted to be rescued.

"He pointed out the cockpit emergency door to me. I swam back up and took a rope and tied it to the door and we tried to pull it with other boats, but the rope broke and hit me in the face and knocked me unconscious. The next thing I know I was here at the hospital," Mr Jackson said.

Both pilots are among the 19 confirmed fatalities after the plane - operated by Precision Air, Tanzania's largest private airline - crashed near the shore of the lake.

:sad:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-63540823

Quote:

Originally Posted by NutLoose (Post 11326857)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-63540823

That sounds like a horrific series of events and the stuff of nightmares for any pilot. Whilst not entirely clear, I'm imagining the entire cockpit to have become submerged (and likely filling with water from the FWD hold/cabin) and they were unable to open the emergency escape hatch above. It does open inwards though. If opened the force of the water rushing in would somehow need to be overcome. Even if not called away, how would this fisherman have generated enough force by waving an axe or any object under water? Very difficult to generate the forces required to smash a cockpit with the water resistance I'd imagine.

Really horrific. The crash axe is normally behind the FO seat low down near the gear pins (on 72-600). With oxy masks on and full of water, I can't imagine how difficult it would be to retrieve. Terribly sad.

When the pilots are on oxygen is the hose long enough to stand up and reach the hatch?, it is probably not a situation that had been considered in the design. Same goes for the crash axe location.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NutLoose (Post 11327026)

When the pilots are on oxygen is the hose long enough to stand up and reach the hatch?, it is probably not a situation that had been considered in the design. Same goes for the crash axe location.

I don't believe it is. The jumpseat oxygen pipe however is built longer so the jumpseater can go and tackle fire in the fwd hold if need be.