Panic as Kenya Airways flight makes emergency return to Entebbe

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Panic engulfed passengers aboard a Nairobi-bound Kenya Airways (KQ) Flight 421 from Entebbe International Airport when it was forced to return shortly after take-off on Sunday morning.

The emergency was reportedly prompted by the failure of the aircraft’s landing gear to retract.

The plane was supposed to land at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

One of the passengers on the flight said that soon after take-off at about 10:00 am, the landing gear failed to retract, and he noticed that the plane was not getting to cruising altitude.

The passenger, who preferred anonymity, said the pilot was forced to turn left and he flew over Kampala and into a holding pattern over Mpigi district.

“Then the pilot made an announcement that they had lost hydraulics, so we flew around for a while and have now returned to Entebbe,” Herman Tuhairwe, a senior lecturer at the Law Development Centre, posted on his X account.

He is also a senior legal officer at the Judicial Service Commission.

Another passenger on the flight said there was panic and tension among the passengers, and some resorted to prayer.

He said after returning to Entebbe, the passengers were told that the company would
repair the plane and resume their flight on Sunday evening at about 7:00 pm.

“We have been told that the other KQ flights are already full,” he said, adding that about 90 passengers were on board when the incident happened.

When contacted, Henry Monari, the KQ station manager, however, attributed the incident to a bird strike.

He said the Entebbe Airport General Manager would issue a statement in regard to the cause of the KQ plane's forced return to Entebbe.

The Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) spokesperson, Vianney Luggya, said he
had been alerted about the incident and promised to issue a statement to explain the incident.