Pilot blamed for Nsibambi plane crash
THE pilot of the Police helicopter in which Prime Minister Apolo Nsibambi was injured early this year, ignored warning lights before and after take off, a report has revealed.
By Mary Karugaba
and Taddeo Bwambale
THE pilot of the Police helicopter in which Prime Minister Apolo Nsibambi was injured early this year, ignored warning lights before and after take off, a report has revealed.
A report handed over to works minister John Nasasira yesterday indicates that the pilot, Emma Busulwa, flew the chopper off from Kololo Airstrip, despite warnings from the accessory gear box and reduction gear box chip detector.
Investigations revealed that the Police had ignored the warning lights since February 20, because there was no aircraft engineer to do the routine checks.
According to the head of the investigation team, retired Col. Chris Mudhola, such warning signs required the pilot to land immediately.
“The first warning light came on thirty five minutes after take off from Kololo Airport. Another came on fifteen minutes later. The same lights also indicated fifteen minutes after the return leg flight take off,†Mudhola said.
On March 8, Nsibambi, his permanent secretary, Pius Bigirimana, his aide, Peter Isabirye, and two members of his press team, Apollo Muhinda and Rose Oyere were involved in a Police helicopter crash at Bugiri Hospital. Also on board was the co-pilot, Elijah Matovu.
“The probable cause of the accident was human error. Failure to comply with established and recommended emergency procedures in the flight manual,†the report added.
Nasasira wondered how a pilot could ignore danger signs, putting the passengers at risk.
The minister also received the investigation reports of aircraft accidents involving Illyushin IL-76T that occurred on March 9, 2009 and a Cessna C206 that occurred at Adjumani airfield on November 17, 2009.
In the Cessna U206F incident, investigations revealed that the accident occurred after the tall grass at the runway got entangled in the plane’s right wing.
Retired Capt. Jack Calnan, the head of the investigating team, into the accident attributed the mishap to poor maintenance of the airstrip.
“The runway at Adjumani Airstrip was originally 1600 metres long and 18 metres wide. Due to poor maintenance, the runway was over grown with grass, leaving narrow murram strip only three metres wide,†he said.
The investigation report showed that the pilot, Emmanuel Twesigye had a valid license to fly the aircraft and had enough rest before the flight.
Investigations into the crash of the Illyushin IL-76T S9-SAB aircraft in Lake Victoria in March, 2009, indicated that the Russian pilot and his crew did not have enough rest before flying the aircraft.
In the 24 hours preceding the accident, the crew was engaged in social activities that run till late in the night, the report says.
The pilot is also said to have been suffering from a knee joint problem although he reportedly denied it.
The navigator, a Ukrainian national, did not possess a valid license, and one of the crew members confessed that they had all been drunk, according to the report.
and Taddeo Bwambale
THE pilot of the Police helicopter in which Prime Minister Apolo Nsibambi was injured early this year, ignored warning lights before and after take off, a report has revealed.
A report handed over to works minister John Nasasira yesterday indicates that the pilot, Emma Busulwa, flew the chopper off from Kololo Airstrip, despite warnings from the accessory gear box and reduction gear box chip detector.
Investigations revealed that the Police had ignored the warning lights since February 20, because there was no aircraft engineer to do the routine checks.
According to the head of the investigation team, retired Col. Chris Mudhola, such warning signs required the pilot to land immediately.
“The first warning light came on thirty five minutes after take off from Kololo Airport. Another came on fifteen minutes later. The same lights also indicated fifteen minutes after the return leg flight take off,†Mudhola said.
On March 8, Nsibambi, his permanent secretary, Pius Bigirimana, his aide, Peter Isabirye, and two members of his press team, Apollo Muhinda and Rose Oyere were involved in a Police helicopter crash at Bugiri Hospital. Also on board was the co-pilot, Elijah Matovu.
“The probable cause of the accident was human error. Failure to comply with established and recommended emergency procedures in the flight manual,†the report added.
Nasasira wondered how a pilot could ignore danger signs, putting the passengers at risk.
The minister also received the investigation reports of aircraft accidents involving Illyushin IL-76T that occurred on March 9, 2009 and a Cessna C206 that occurred at Adjumani airfield on November 17, 2009.
In the Cessna U206F incident, investigations revealed that the accident occurred after the tall grass at the runway got entangled in the plane’s right wing.
Retired Capt. Jack Calnan, the head of the investigating team, into the accident attributed the mishap to poor maintenance of the airstrip.
“The runway at Adjumani Airstrip was originally 1600 metres long and 18 metres wide. Due to poor maintenance, the runway was over grown with grass, leaving narrow murram strip only three metres wide,†he said.
The investigation report showed that the pilot, Emmanuel Twesigye had a valid license to fly the aircraft and had enough rest before the flight.
Investigations into the crash of the Illyushin IL-76T S9-SAB aircraft in Lake Victoria in March, 2009, indicated that the Russian pilot and his crew did not have enough rest before flying the aircraft.
In the 24 hours preceding the accident, the crew was engaged in social activities that run till late in the night, the report says.
The pilot is also said to have been suffering from a knee joint problem although he reportedly denied it.
The navigator, a Ukrainian national, did not possess a valid license, and one of the crew members confessed that they had all been drunk, according to the report.