Nanyuki, Kenya— A single-engine Cessna 206 ferrying supplies to a conservancy lodge attempted an emergency landing in a harvested wheat field near Nanyuki at 11:40 a.m. Tuesday, but clipped a ditch and flipped, killing the pilot.
The aircraft, operated by a local charter company, had taken off from Wilson Airport in Nairobi an hour earlier. The pilot reported engine roughness over the Aberdare foothills and diverted toward Nanyuki airstrip. He radioed that oil pressure was dropping.
Flight tracking shows the plane descended rapidly and aimed for a flat field 6 kilometers short of the runway. Witnesses said the landing looked controlled until the nose wheel hit an irrigation channel. The aircraft nosed over and broke apart. The pilot, a 42-year-old Kenyan with 3,000 hours, was trapped in the cockpit.
"The engine sputtered, then quiet. He came low over our farm, wheels down, then hit the ditch. Dust went up," said Peter Mwangi, a farmhand who ran to the wreckage and tried to pull the pilot out.
Kenya Civil Aviation Authority and the Air Accident Investigation Department sealed the site. The aircraft’s engine and propeller will be examined for failure. Fuel samples were taken from farm storage and the aircraft tanks.
"The pilot made a good field choice. The ditch was hidden by wheat stubble. That caused the flip," a KCAA investigator said at the field edge. He spoke on condition of anonymity because the preliminary report is not yet released.
Bush flying is common in Kenya, connecting lodges and conservancies. Small plane accidents often involve engine failure and rough field landings. Safety groups have urged better strip maintenance and ditch marking.
The charter company grounded its remaining Cessna fleet for inspection and said the aircraft had passed a 100-hour check last week.
The field owner said crops were already harvested and offered access for recovery. The wreckage will be moved to Nairobi for detailed analysis.
The KCAA expects a preliminary factual report within 30 days.
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