Precision Air crash: Survivor narrates moment before the plunge

One of the passengers who was aboard the ill-fated Precision Air flight that has left 19 passengers dead so far has narrated what actually happened to the plane.

Patched on his hospital bed, a calm and collected Richard Komba says they left Dar es Salaam at around 0615Hrs and all seemed well between Dar and and Mwanza, the weather was just fine.

“As we approached Bukoba, the pilot alerted us that the weather was not fine and that it was raining heavily so we went past Bukoba towards the border with Uganda before we could turn back,” said Mr Komba.

According to him on return they were alerted that in the event that the weather was still not good, the captain would be left with no choice but to go back to Mwanza.

“Soon we began our descent on Bukoba Airport, there was so much turbulence and it was still raining heavily and soon without any warning we found ourselves in the water,” said Mr Komba.

He says that with the plunge soon water started spilling into the aircraft and he was lucky to have been at the back.

“We had a cabin crew with us who helped us open the emergence exit and soon we found ourselves outside the aircraft.”

But that perhaps was their easier part because it took a lengthy wait before any help could arrive and even when it came it was a hand-paddled wooden boat used by fishermen on the lake.

“There was no immediate evacuation plan and we got worried that the boat could be overwhelmed,” said Mr Komba