Survivors recount Precision Air crash

Dar es Salaam. Details started coming in late yesterday regarding what transpired before a Precision Air plane crashed into Lake Victoria earlier in the day.

The carrier said 19 people died in the crash, while 24 were rescued.

The 48-seater twin turboprop ATR42-500 – with 39 passengers (38 adults and an infant) and four crew on board – was flying from Dar es Salaam to Bukoba, Kagera Region, when the accident occurred at around 8.53am.

The plane crashed while attempting to land in stormy weather at Bukoba Airport, which is close to Lake Victoria.

Earlier, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa, who visited the scene of the accident, said 19 bodies had been recovered, and were in the process of being identified, while 26 people had been rescued.

Mr Majaliwa said the government would investigate the discrepancies in the numbers, considering that with 26 people having been rescued, and taken to hospital, and 19 confirmed dead, the tally came to 45.

Both Precision Air and the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) put the number of people who were on board at 43.

However, there were unconfirmed reports that two of those who were rescued were themselves rescuers.

It was confirmed that one of those who died was Captain Buruhani Rubaga, who was piloting the aircraft.

Narrating what happened before the accident, a survivor, Mr Richard Komba, said the flight from Dar es Salaam was largely uneventful, but the weather changed dramatically as they were flying from Mwanza to Bukoba.

“The situation kept changing from bad to worse as we approached our destination,” he said from his hospital bed in Bukoba.

As the aircraft approached Bukoba Airport, it was discovered that it was impossible to land, and the captain informed passengers that it was raining heavily and visibility was poor.

“He told us that if the poor weather persisted, he would be forced return to Mwanza Airport. It was however announced that we would still be able to land despite the bad weather and turbulence,” he added.

But the plane suddenly dived into Lake Victoria, and water quickly flooded the front section of the aircraft.

“Fortunately, I was at the back. I began struggling together with several other passengers. With us was a crew member, who was also struggling to open one of the doors” said Mr Komba.

“I’m not sure who managed to open the door, but it was opened, and we were able to get out. Help didn’t arrive immediately, and some time passed before we were rescued by fishermen in a canoe,” he said.

Another survivor, Ms Theodora Mpesha, 46, said she barely managed to unbuckle her seat belt, and ran to the nearest the door before exiting and boarding a canoe that took her and several other survivors to the shore.

Mr Salvatory Temba said after arriving in the Lake Zone, the captain informed passengers that the weather was not good, and hinted that the situation could worsen.

“Despite being cautioned, we remained optimistic that the situation would return to normalcy. When the accident occurred, water quickly flooded the plane, and passengers began struggling to save their lives...there was pandemonium,” he said.

Mr Majaliwa Jackson, 20, a resident of Nyamkazi in Bukoba Municipality, who was injured while rescuing passengers, said he was selling sardines on the shore when the accident happened.

“I saw the plane coming and going in the direction of Musira Islet. As it was coming from the direction of Customs, it crashed into the lake, a few metres from where I was with a number of fellow traders,” he said.

Mr Jackson said they saw people waving frantically from inside the plane.

“One of the doors was opened, and that enabled some passengers to get out and onto canoes. Other doors were locked, and it proved impossible to open them, Efforts to break them down proved futile.

“I picked up a belt from the Lake. As I struggled to pull it, it snapped and hit me in the eye. I lost consciousness, and when I came around I found myself at the regional referral hospital,” he added.

Precision Air Services Plc managing director Patrick Mwanri said the company’s centre of operations control was informed after 8.53am that the flight had not arrived in Bukoba.

“We started communicating with the authorities for in-depth information. Then it was confirmed that the plane had crashed into Lake Victoria,” he said.

At that time, reports showed that 26 people had been rescued and taken to a public hospital.

He said two information centres had been opened at ELCT Hotel in Bukoba and Blue Saphire Hotel in Vingunguti, Dar es Salaam.

“The centres will be responsible for assisting family members and relatives of the accident victims. Also, we are collaborating with responsible authorities, including the Tanzania Aviation Authority (TAA), the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) and the disaster department at the PMO and Regional Commissioner (RC) over the matter,” he said.

Following the accident, President Samia Suluhu Hassan tweeted through her verified account @SuluhuSamia, “I have received with profound sadness reports of an accident involving a Precision Air plane, which crashed into Lake Victoria in Kagera Region. I convey my message of sympathy for all victims. We should be patient as the rescue operation continues.”

The National Assembly Speaker, Dr Tulia Ackson, also tweeted: “I sympathise with my fellow Tanzanians following the Lake Victoria accident in Kagera Region involving a Precision Air plane. Thanks to all of you who have participated in the rescue exercise..”

The US Embassy Tanzania @usembassytz tweeted, “The thoughts of the whole U.S. Embassy community go out to those affected by the plane crash today in Bukoba. We pray the rescue operation will be successful, and pay tribute to the heroic efforts of first responders, especially ordinary citizens who helped rescue victims.”

Although Tanzanian skies are among the safest in the world, there have been some sporadic accidents during the past few years.

On December 9, 2018, a Precision Air ATR-72 was hit by a flock of birds before landing at the Mwanza Airport.

The plane number PW 722, carrying four crew members and 68 passengers on board, flying from Nairobi via Kilimanjaro to Mwanza. The incident only caused some damages to the facility but it did not result in any casualty to human life.

In November last year, pilot Mr Samwel Gibuyi was declared missing after he flew on a mission to Selous Game Reserve.

Also Read: Mystery as pilot, plane go missing in Selous reserve

Also Read: Search for missing pilot could take longer, experts say

Gibuyi, a 31-year old pilot was flying solo to join his workmate in the Selous and conduct an aerial surveillance, but his plane failed to arrive at its destination.

The pilot working for Pams Foundation was reported to be missing since October 18, 2021, when flying his plane from Matemanga Village in Ruvuma to Selous Game Reserve in search of black rhinos, failed to arrive as expected. His whereabouts have not been known since then.

In February, this year, light aircraft registered in Tanzania and owned by Fly Zanzibar Limited crashed into the sea off the coast of Comoros, with 14 people on board.

Also Read: 14 missing as Tanzania registered plane crashes off the Comoros

Similarly, on November 1, 1997 a Piper PA 31-350 travelling between Nairobi-Zanzibar crashed on the Kibo wing of Mount Kilimanjaro at 15,400 feet in bad weather.