Monday, August 13, 2012

Saitoti inquiry orders analysis on chopper engine


Saitoti inquiry orders analysis on chopper engine

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Justice Kalpana Rawal visited the site of the helicopter crash on June 20, 2012.
Justice Kalpana Rawal visited the site of the helicopter crash on June 20, 2012.  
By VINCENT AGOYA vagoya@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Monday, August 13  2012 at  13:59
The commission of inquiry into the helicopter crash that killed two ministers and four police officers has isolated six “crucial” components of the aircraft for specialised laboratory testing.
The analysis is meant to help investigators piece together the circumstances leading to the crash of the Kenya Police-owned helicopter.
According to the Commission chairperson Lady Justice Kalpana Rawal, the laboratory tests will seek to ascertain the condition of the components before take off, the signals they transmitted soon after and whether a malfunction of the engine may have caused the accident.
The helicopter’s Global Positioning System (GPS), transmitters, digital control and engine malfunction display units will be sent abroad “for more accurate data tracking than what can be read back from the receivers at the police airwing,” Justice Rawal said.
The parts identified for testing included the aircraft’s engine and rotor gearboxes which will be assessed locally. A readout of the data retrieved may help determine the status of the helicopter during its last flight.
Aggrey Opot , a commissioner and technical expert said investigators will be seeking to ascertain the pre-impact signals sent to the engines and their accompanying parts to find out if any defects were recorded.
The Judge however clarified that the Commission has yet to identify particular countries where the components will be taken for the analysis.
“It’s a inter-governmental thing and the process may take long, I cannot sincerely give you a location and a time-frame,” she said.
She added that the commission had written to several countries inquiring of their capabilities to perform the inspections.
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She was addressing the press at the KICC.
The June 10 helicopter crash killed Internal security Minsiter George Saitoti, his deputy Orwa Ojode, two police bodyguards and two aircrews at Kibiku area in Ngong soon after take off from Wilson Airport.
The inquiry has entered the second month and has been getting evidence over the procedures of procurement and subsequent purchase of the ill fated helicopter registration 5Y-CDT AS 350. Thirteen witnesses have testified in the daily public sittings.
On Monday, Justice Rawal called on “anybody with information regarding the ill-fated helicopter to forward it to the commission secretariat offices at KICC,1st floor in confidence.
Rawal said an extensive background investigation has been underway spearheaded by experts in various technical issues.
She said the probe will continue to be conducted in a “ a fair and transparent manner.”

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