More on the Kenyan flight and possibility that it might have been shot down.
Also, some interesting insight on the Y-12 and its heavy usage in Kenya who been flying the type since 1997.
On the trail of the ill-fated military plane
By Cyrus Ombati and Allan Kisia
The ill-fated plane left the Moi Air Base in Eastleigh, Nairobi, at about 7am.
On board were six MPs, police officers, intelligence officers and members of the provincial administration. Their mission was to visit the border of Moyale and Marsabit districts where clashes had been reported.
Journalists were to accompany the entourage, but a senior government official declined. The passengers were at the airport as early as 6 am, ready to take the flight.
At the airport, two military pilots and three attendants waited for the takeoff. Three hours after the takeoff, one of the pilots, a Mr Mureithi, signalled MAB and reported that the plane had developed mechanical problems.
He told the military control tower that he had heard a bang on the rear side of the plane, adding that he could not tell what was happening. There was no further communication from the plane.
Hit by a heavy object
Other reports indicated that poor weather might have led to the crash. It was raining and misty in Marsabit at the time of the accident.
Government sources said the plane was either shot down or was hit by a heavy object, leading to the crash.
“That is what we are trying to establish,” said a senior government official.
After crashing, the plane went up in flames as villagers rushed to the accident scene. The villagers contacted the local provincial administration, which called Nairobi.
By the time rescuers arrived at the accident scene, six MPs were among those trapped in the burning wreckage. Moyale DC Peter King’ola, who was by then alive, told the rescuers that there were 18 passengers aboard the plane. He later lapsed into a coma.
He was rescued alongside Eastern PC Patrick Osare and two pilots, identified as Mureithi and Wamuiya.
When the Department of Defence headquarters received the gloomy news, it dispatched another plane to rescue the victims.
Cabinet ministers Njenga Karume and John Michuki and police boss, Maj Gen Hussein Ali, left for the scene too.
Made in China
The aircraft was a Y-12 manufactured by Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation, a Chinese firm. It was one of similar aircraft delivered to Kenya in July 2000 at a ceremony held at the Moi Air Base in Nairobi.
Former Chief of General Staff, Daudi Tonje, said the first batch of the six 17-seat planes arrived in April 1997. He said the aircraft had logged over 5,000 hours without any teething problems that normally accompany the introduction of such a new system.
The development of the Y-12 began in 1980; Type I was used chiefly in exploration and Type II is a passenger plane.
Founded in 1952, Harbin has more than 16,000 employees and is the sole Chinese builder of light helicopters and general aviation aircraft.
China and Kenya started their military exchanges with a Chinese military delegation visiting Kenya in December 1996.
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