One killed, stations off-air after plane crashes into Limuru transmission station

Bystanders view the wreckage of the 5Y-DMS that crashed into the Limuru transmission station. (PHOTO COURTESY)

A pilot was killed when a plane he was in crashed on a house and transmission site in limuru, Kiambu County. The fixed wing two engine plane was headed for Wilson Airport in Nairobi when it crashed at about 4.10 p.m. on Sunday.

The pilot, identified as Captain Philip Koech, was the only person on board when the incident happened, according to police. It is not clear what caused the crash but the area is reported to have been foggy at the time of the incident.

Officials at the airport said the pilot had contacted the Control tower at 12.55 p.m. as he left Naivasha.

“It wasn’t until about 4 p.m. when the villagers reported that the plane had crashed in Rironi, Limuru. We are yet to get more details,” said an official on the incident.

The airport officials said the PA28 plane registration 5Y-DMS was badly damaged after the incident. Rescuers rushed to the scene minutes later but could not save him.

The pilot had left Wilson Airport earlier in the morning on Sunday.

Following the incident, several radio stations that rely on the masts at the station were forced off-air. The station’s technicians struggled to restore the radio stations on air.

KISS 100, KISS TV, Classic 105, Radio Jambo and East FM stations have been rendered off-air following the plane crash.

"TV and radio antennas, microwave links and feeder cables have been affected by the crash. However our technical team is on site assessing the damage and working on a back-up plan to ensure that we will be back on air in the affected areas by tomorrow morning," said Mr. Patrick Quarcoo,CEO Radio Africa Limited.