Photo/WILLIAM OERI/NATION The police helicopter that crashed in Ngong Forest on June 10, 2012 parked at Wilson Airport, Nairobi a week earlier. Nation Media Group
By VINCENT AGOYA vagoya@kenationmedia.com
Posted Tuesday, September 4 2012 at 21:59
Posted Tuesday, September 4 2012 at 21:59
IN SUMMARY
- A witness confirmed that mandatory checks were not carried out on the aircraft to ascertain its airworthiness.
- Records presented at the hearing show that the aircraft flew for 93 days without an indication that mandatory inspections were done.
- It also emerged that there was no maintenance plan for the aircraft and a Mr Aristide, an engineer seconded by Eurocopter, randomly signed inspection documents without adhering to the manufacturer’s manual.
A maintenance lapse could have had a direct impact on the safety of the helicopter that came down killing Internal Security Minister George Saitoti and five others, the probe team has heard.
The commission chaired by Lady Justice Kalpana Rawal at the same time rejected a preliminary report on the tragedy, which a lawyer for Eurocopter, suppliers of the helicopter, tabled during the hearing.
A witness confirmed that mandatory checks were not carried out on the aircraft to ascertain its airworthiness.
Records presented at the hearing show that the aircraft flew for 93 days without an indication that mandatory inspections were done.
Mr Johnson Mwangi Gatathu, the deputy commandant of the police airwing confirmed that the last recorded inspection of the aircraft was on March 10.
It also emerged that there was no maintenance plan for the aircraft and a Mr Aristide, an engineer seconded by Eurocopter, randomly signed inspection documents without adhering to the manufacturer’s manual.
Mr Gatathu said airworthiness depends on maintenance. “The consequences of a casual approach are diverse, you cannot rule out a crash,” he said.
The commission was told that no records existed to show that weekly and biweekly checks were carried out on the aircraft.
The commission’s attention was drawn to a controversial entry concerning the aircraft’s battery indicating that it should have been removed on May 18, but a signed record by Mr Aristide indicated that the move was deferred to allow it to be used for flood rescue operations. (READ: Saitoti copter ‘was repaired by an outsider’)
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However, Mr Gatathu disagreed with Saitoti family lawyer Frederick Ngatia, over a suggestion that at the time of the crash, the battery may have expired.
During the hearing, Eurocopter’s lawyer Anthony Gross informed the commission that he had circulated a preliminary on-site examination report sanctioned by Eurocopter.
Judge Rawal ruled that the document should be submitted through “proper channels” to the commission before being disseminated elsewhere.
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