Kenya Gossip
 

Interesting evening with some two-fold gossip as follows:

1. A cargo DC9 crashed short of runway 24 in bad weather at HKJK. Aircraft damage but no fatalities - and nothing much if anything in the local press about it.
2. A Caravan was shot at in Somalia in the last day or so. The bullets and damage were only found when the crew landed and found bullets in the cargo in the pod.

Does anyone know who the relevant aircraft/operators/crew of either incident are and what the details are??

The DC9 belongs to Astral aviation rumor has it new captain, the caravan info to come

Apparently its rumoured to be 5Y-EGG - shot at somewhere between Mogadishu via Galcaio to Hargeisa. Bullet went through bottom of cargo pod into cargo. Crew didn't know it had happened till they took out cargo and found the bullets.

Lucky for them!:E

Nope - an update is that it is more likely MJA. Presumably someone took a potshot cos they didn't get all the money they were expecting. Hostage holding is an expensive business these days.

Its not a great year for this aircraft in Somalia. Change the registration or paint scheme maybe?

Dc9 was 5Y SAN operated by Astral Aviation
but owned by some Belgium Company.
Crew were both Capt's, one very inexperienced with
probably less than 1000hrs total on jets with no previous
Command time and other who was occupying the right seat
was a very experienced capt but old age has caught up
That itself should raise some eyebrows as I can only imagine the friction in that cockpit.
A lot of unanswered questions of the whole incident but according
to sources the conclusion was a microbust!:eek:
The aircraft should be out today to resume normal ops

Kind of what I'd already heard. But what's more curious than a CRM issue/microburst is that it really hasn't made the local or international media in any shape or form apart from bar room talk and here.

Either its been smoothed over, or its so uninteresting no-one's even bothering to comment. That's worrying in itself when accidents aren't even newsworthy. :confused:

Goes to show that KCAA is an organization in dire need of professionalism

Given that the DC9 has not made the news just what does "crashed short of runway...damage but no fatalities" signify? Just how badly did it "crash" and how far short? Dipped its wheels into the grass on the undershoot perhaps? Hard to see how a crash short of the runway does not close the airport for many hours, and busted aeroplanes on their bellies at international airports don't go unreported, even in Kenya do they? Likewise aircraft still on their wheels hardly indicate a "crash" either...

Actually I shouldn't have been surprised nothing came up in the media. We have something very special here in Kenya called an "off airport/runway precautionary excursion". But its not a crash. Its when an aircraft can't make a runway or fails to stay on a runway for whatever reason. But its most assuredly not a crash.

Some companies even provide tape/paper to hide registrations before the passengers have even disembarked and the dust has settled.

Know for a fact that the aircraft that was shot in Somalia at was not MJA as she was flying joy rides for a Charity over the weekend and flew up to Lokichar on Monday and Tuesday.;)

5Y-EGG is now 5H-EGG and is safe in Arusha for Tanganyika Flying Co.

So to quote Alice, "Curiouser and curiouser". Now it seems that the shot plane is neither MJA or EGG.

But the original report came from a pretty large & reputable world wide aid agency who had information that a Caravan had been shot at in Somalia. No-one here in Nairobi seems to be missing a plane or even a plane without a pod. Or it was fixed at high speed. Or it wasn't a Kenya based plane at all - but hard to imagine anywhere else sending a Van into Somalia..

Now here's a thought - perhaps the rumour was just that. A rumour. Thank heavens for Prune.

Out of interest, who owns MJA? Heard it flying yesterday out of nbo so it can't have been shot down!

Very interesting,,

Off the topic..
 

Off the topic..
Heard some solid rumours that Kq taking
direct entry kenyan capts..Also heard some
540 & Jetlink pilots have been called or been
taken for that position.
Anyone out there with more info on this?

looking at the date of your posting, you must be one of them, so tell us more!!!!!...the first interviews were conducted today....!!

Nop..I am not one of them.
Are you sure interviews were conducted today
for DEC?
You can Pm me if you wish..