Today, a Skyward Dash 8 registered 5Y-GRS crash-landed in Kenya. The airplane was en route from Nairobi to Elwak with 41 passengers on board. The aircraft’s left main gear collapsed, and it escaped the runway with no injuries reported.
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Accident with a Skyward Express DHC8, seemingly happened today pic.twitter.com/IHsbvaCe2U
— The Kenyan Aviator (@kenyanaviator) July 21, 2021
The aircraft from Nairobi to Elwak had four crew members and 37 passengers. According to the Aviation Herald, the aircraft landed safely on the gravel runway at Elwak; however, one of the aircraft’s main landing gears collapsed. As a consequence, the aircraft veered off the runway and came to rest on its side.
The small aircraft was able to crash land at Kenya military base in Elwak, near the Kenya-Somali-Ethiopian border. The aircraft seems to be wet leased from DAC aviation. The passengers escaped the plane in foot. It is yet to be known in which destination the aircraft was headed towards.
Skyward Express is a private regional airline established in 2013, based in Nairobi. Headquartered in Wilson Airport, the airline provides both passenger and cargo services.
Though the passengers have been lucky to survive the crash in remote area of the country, Skyward Express obviously has sustained uncertain outcomes, with loss of confidence in flying passengers, following the accident.
The cause of the accident is being investigated.
