Kampala — John Mirenge, chairman of RwandAir was pacing up and down from the intensive care unit to the reception at King Faisal Hospital in Kigali. His phone was ringing off the hook. Calls were coming in from all corners of the world inquiring about the November 12 RwandAir accident at Kigali International Airport. The victims had been rushed to the hospital.

Gerald Ssendaula, former Ugandan Finance minister was among the victims of the accident which claimed one female passenger. The ever smiling Ssendaula had just been discharged after medics found he was out of danger. He was now standing in the hospital compound under a tree shade with a group of Ugandans in Rwanda.

"I have survived. I would be the late." Ssendaula kept saying.

Other Ugandans on the ill-fated flight included Jobanputra Kishor, the chairman Picfare; Richard Mubiru, general manager Picfare; and a lady only identified as Adoko.

The aircraft involved in the incident is a bombardier manufactured 50-seater Canadian Regional Jet -100 series. The aircraft registration number 5Y-JLD is registered in Kenya and owned by Jetlink Express Limited which was operating flight number WB205 on behalf of RwandAir at the time.

Currently, all operations with the Jetlink CRJ aircrafts have been suspended while investigations of this incident are ongoing and RwandAir passengers have been rebooked through partner airlines. However, only flights to Johannesburg and Nairobi have been affected by this suspension. Flights to Entebbe, Kamembe, Bujumbura, and Kilimanjaro continue to be operated as normal but with time changes.

What happened?

According to a press release by RwandAir, at 1240hrs flight number WB205 took off for Entebbe with nine adults and an infant. A crew of three - captain, first officer and an engineer manning the flight and two RwandAir flight attendants were on board the flight. Two minutes into the flight, the Captain called the control tower asking to land back because of a technical problem with the engine's thrust lever (throttle).

The aircraft safely landed and taxied into the parking bay. However as the ground crew went to put on the back wheel chocks, the aircraft suddenly accelerated, turned right and hit the eastern wall of the VIP building after covering a distance of about 500 meters. After hitting the wall, the flight attendants aboard the aircraft initiated an evacuation sequence and the passengers escaped through the over-wing emergency door and walked away from the aircraft to the terminal building.

The Crash and Rescue team at Kigali International Airport ensured that all the passengers and crew were rushed to King Faisal Hospital for evaluation and observation as needed. The entire crew has been tested for substance abuse.

Of the passengers rushed to the hospital, six passengers were immediately discharged after evaluation. It is highly regrettable that one passenger died in hospital, the cause of death is yet to be determined. However, RwandAir is in touch with the family and is assisting with the funeral arrangements.

While the cabin attendants were treated for minor injuries and discharged, the cockpit crews are still admitted at the hospital. The Captain sustained a broken leg, the First Officer sustained a broken ankle and the Flight Engineer had bruises but was kept for observation.

Soon after the aircraft taxied into the VIP building, and after the evacuation, different organs at the airport concerned were swift to deal with the wreckage and ensured that any potential danger to the airport was contained. After long hours of careful efforts and amid heavy rain the wreckage was moved to a safe area away from the operational area.

Investigations

The accident investigations started immediately after the accident and will be headed by Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) who licensed the aircraft, supported by RCAA who own the accident scene. The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) will be invited as a neutral party to help with the investigations.

Apparently prior to getting into lease arrangements with Jetlink Express, RwandAir along with Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority (RCAA) as the aviation regulator, conducted independent audit of Jetlink Express, her maintenance facilities and crew capabilities to determine safety and airworthiness of the operation.

Over the last few months, RwandAir has been working vigorously towards the acquisition of its owned fleet of aircrafts delivery of which is scheduled before the end of the year. Over the next few days, according to the press release, the airline is going to fast track the delivery of these aircrafts.

In her bid to ensure the highest standards of safety, RwandAir has secured and retained the maintenance services of Lufthansa Technic for its expected fleet. Further, to head her technical and flight operations going forward the airline has retained qualified and experienced personnel like the Chief Pilot who has over 17,000 flying hours with renowned airlines and the Director of Operations with over 40,000 flying hours.