Nairobi — A pilot and his student died in a mid-air collision with a passenger aircraft during take-off from Wilson Airport.

The incident, which occurred on Tuesday morning, involved a Dash 8 Safari Link aircraft bound for Diani on the Kenyan coast and a Cessna aircraft belonging to Ninety-Nines Flying School.

Safari Link airline confirmed the incident and stated that all 44 passengers and crew on board their flight were unharmed.

“Safarilink Aviation wishes to report that this (Tuesday) morning at 9:45 Local Time our flight number 053 with 39 passengers and 5 crew on board headed to Diani experienced a loud bang soon after take-off,” it said, “The crew decided to immediately turn back to Nairobi-Wilson Airport for further inspection and assessment and landed safely. There were no casualties reported.”

While the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) has initiated an investigation into the accident, police sources have confirmed that two individuals lost their lives in the collision.

“Two people died in the accident,” a senior police officer briefed about the accident said.

“Investigations have commenced through various agencies led by the Air Accident Investigation Department and the National Police Service to establish the cause of the accident,” stated KCAA in response to the incident.

Mid-air collisions are exceptionally rare in aviation due to the precision of pilots and the assistance of air traffic controllers.

Aviation officials have expressed shock and concern over the incident, emphasizing the importance of a thorough investigation to determine the exact circumstances leading to the collision.