Pilot took off despite bad weather caution

A relative of those who perished in the KQ plane crash at the site of the accident on Monday.

The pilot of a Kenya Airways plane that crashed in Cameroon decided to take off in stormy weather while other flights waited for conditions to improve, Cameroon’s civil aviation chief said yesterday.

A relative of those who perished in the KQ plane crash at the site of the accident on Monday. Photos/ JOSEPH MATHENGE

Cameroon has launched an investigation into the crash of the six-month-old Boeing 737-800, which plunged into swampy jungle not far from Douala airport shortly after taking off around midnight on May 5. All 114 people on board were killed. 

Relatives of the victims have criticised Cameroonian authorities over their handling of the accident. Search parties took nearly two days to locate the plane wreckage, which was found less than six kilometres from the end of the runway. 

The head of Cameroon’s Civil Aviation Authority, Mr Ignatius Sama Juma, said the Douala control tower had advised the captain of Kenya Airways Flight 507 of the stormy weather conditions. 

Technical fault

“Certainly, there was a storm problem,” Mr Juma told Radio France Internationale, adding that only the official inquiry would determine whether the crash was caused by a technical fault or human error. 

But Kenya Airways corporate communications manager Michael Okwiri said that was speculation and Kenyans should wait for conclusion of investigations.

“We have heard quite a bit of speculative information. We should wait for the investigations into the cause of accident,’ Mr Okwiri said.

Mr Juma said the captains of two other planes also due to leave Douala the same night both decided to wait for weather conditions to improve. They left safely. 

“The control tower gave all the meteorological information to the commander of (the Kenya Airways) flight ... but he decided to take off ... it was his decision,” Mr Juma said. 

Only one “black box”, the flight data recorder, has been recovered. Rescuers were looking for the cockpit voice recorder.  

Responding to criticism that Cameroonian authorities wasted nearly two days searching for the plane 150 km from the crash site, Mr Juma said the automatic distress beacon on board had stopped transmitting soon after take-off. 

He added the search was also misled by data provided by a satellite tracking station in Toulouse.