Police boss recounts moments before chopper crashed
Three police officers and a civilian were on Thursday injured when a police helicopter acquired in April this year at a cost of Sh683 million crashed in Mathare.
The helicopter, registration 5Y-NPS, was on routine patrol when it crashed with Inspector Martin Ndungu, Inspector Dennis Otom Oduk, Constable Michael Kariuki Mutwota and a foreigner on board.
The foreigner, according to the police headquarters, was from the Italian company, AugustaWestland, who supplied the chopper while Constable Mutwota was the aircraft’s technician.
The Nairobi County police commander Japheth Koome said the helicopter was on normal aerial patrol in the area when it developed a mechanical problem at the National Youth Service (NYS) engineering institute.
“The aircraft was on normal surveillance when it developed problems. We cannot tell the cause of the accident. The pilot had put all efforts to land in the field where there are no people. No other casualties besides the four,” said Mr Koome.
STAYED MOTIONLESS
Eye witnesses said the chopper stayed motionless in the air for close to 20 minutes before it suddenly nosedived in the NYS open field. A NYS officer said avionic students at the institute helped to ensure it did not explode into flames by switching off relevant switches.
He said the four were rushed to GSU headquarters health centre before they were transferred to another hospital for specialized treatment. Mr Koome however said that the four were in stable condition.
The crash took place just two weeks after helicopter belonging to the airwing crashed at the Wilson Airport
Police have enhanced both ground and aerial patrols in Nairobi and its environs ahead of the Saturday Jubilee function at Kasarani. At least 10,000 delegates are expected in the city.
“We have now secured the area. Normal patrols will however, continue as we have more choppers,” added Mr Koome.
The chopper was one of the newest choppers purchased by the Airwing recently. The AW139 helicopter is 15-seater suitable for search and rescue, maritime patrol and law enforcement, among other uses.
The chopper has a Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) cameras that senses infrared radiation to help the pilot manouvre at night and in fog. They also have glass cockpits, and FLIR camera and glass cockpit and a search light 1600 watts.
