kenya airlines 737-800 missing
 

According to a spokesman a 737-800 form Cameroo n to Nairobi has gone missing.Hope all is ok.Will follow up with more news.

Any one else got more info?

Kenya Airways 737-800 missing
 

Here's the story from the Beeb:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6627485.stm

They lost contact with the aricraft at 22:05 CET

News from the Dark Continent seems to be hard to get.

When was radar contact lost?
Where was the A/C when radar contact was lost?
Is it normal for there to be no radar coverage over the continent?
Is anyone up searching?

Their web site seems to be down also, i can't believe that in this age of technology we still know nothing of the fate of this aircraft. Fingers crossed.

Mr Thunder

Radar coverage is sparse to nonexistent over Africa.

We use Bush telegraphs in Africa.The airline spokesman Michael Okwiri from Kenya airlines issued the statement.
Will follow up with more news soon

Still no news, Sky News reprorted that a distress signal was received...

Still nothing found...
 

CHC’s Twin Otter is flying around Douala looking for any signs of crash right now (don’t know if Cameroon official search and rescue – Cameroon Air Force is involved at all).

No, Douala and Cameroon have no radar facilities.

Word is that the worst is to be expected.The aircraft are basicaly brand new (6 months old) .Apparantly they took off in torrential rain.Yes they are searching not far from Doula Airport at the moment which indicates they know its gone down.Sad very sad..

Sky is now reporting that the plane has crashed

Very sad about the 737 if in fact the latest news is correct. As an airline, they seems to project a professional image with new aircraft and well trained crews. A sad day indeed.

Last time I looked, I didnt know the CAF had anything that could fly. Ironic that the "safe" option out of Douala should go down while Cameroon Airlines continue to stagger through the sky being avoided by anyone with a choice.

What was the weather like ? suggestions in Indonesia last year were that the Adam Air may have penetrated a heavy CB, and Indonesia is like most parts of Africa, nothing but the onboard radar (which could be u/s) to help get around the nastier tropical weather.

Cameroon State Radio reporting that it went down near Niete Southern Cameroon.May God have mercy as Africa has gone dark today.My heart goes out to all those aboard and their families,This is not on!

From SkyNews
 

Plane Carrying 115 People Crashes
Updated: 09:33, Saturday May 05, 2007

A passenger jet carrying 115 people has crashed in Cameroon.
Kenya Airways lost contact with the plane shortly after takeoff and a search operation was launched.

A Kenya Airways jet crashed in 2000 killing 169 peopleAir traffic controllers picked up a distress signal from the aircraft before contact was lost.

The flight originally began in Ivory Coast but stopped in Douala - Cameroon's largest city - to pick up more passengers en route to the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

The 737-800 was carrying 106 passengers, eight crew members and a flight engineer.

The plane is the latest generation of 737 capable of carrying 189 passengers and has long-range capability.

Cammron,

Was just posting while you stuck the weather on. Not surprise, once, as pax, had to endure 3 approaches in nasty torrential rain to get in to Yaounde with Kenyan. On balance they probably did a good job of it, and did not have too many options, perhaps weather in Doula was just as bad and not worth the diversion.

But that was arrival with limited fuel, not departure

According to some of the sources which must still be confirmed they were experiencing extremely heavy rain at time of departure and over the area.Is it possible that a double flame out occured?The experts may comment but the cause is still unknown.

Our concern as aviation professionals at the moment is for the crew, and their family, it is their bird. The passengers are responsibility of the insurance company, and the company public relations. Every-body who flies in an aircraft must take the responsibility to fly, safely, and must account for these at least mentally. Aviation companies make it their responsibility that a flight is flown safely, but according to Murphy laws, anything that can happen, will happen at some point in time, and this is one such point. Once these have been accounted for then our next concern is what happened, and if it can be avoided/minimized for other similar situations in the future. Aviation incidences are dramatic, but please let us not dramatize this, as improper dramatization affects the emotions of people, flight crew, passengers, and family, increasing the chances of such an incident happening again in the future, affecting positive public opinion of the aviation industry. Air transport is here to stay, our concern is the minimize chances of incidents not increase them.

Andrew O. Ojwang(Nairobi)
Licensed Graduate Engineer.
Aeroranger.
ATPL Wanna-be.

Capt Kak
 

What a sad Day for Not just us African Aviators but for the whole aviation fratenity.Kenya Was carrying the flag for Africa. Oh Dear Lord have mercy on us. God Bless.

A crash fatal or non fatal is an extremely dramatic event.Everyone wants to know what happened and why.No one wants it to happen to them and if in our minds the cause is a rare event we rest easier.Forums and posts educate us and assist and attest any fear and bode a sense of expression of emotions and feelings.We all have a passion for aviation and the world it envelopes and experience it daily in our lives which ever way-be it technical ,theoretical or practical.We are curious by nature and this will never change.That is what brings improvements and advancement to mankind.We must not stifle this .