The chopper which claimed the life of Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) the last Francis Ogolla and 11 others was refuelled twice hours before it crashed, a report unveiled Friday reveals.
The report released by the Ministry of Defence following a probe shows that the Bell UH-1H-II (Huey) Helicopter KAF 1501 left Wilson Airport on the fateful day-April 18, 2024.
The crew then made the first stop at Chesit to refuel.
Ogolla and the crew were a tour of the North Rift Counties of Baringo, Elgeyo Marakwet and West Pokot to visit troops under Operation Maliza Uhalifu (OMU).
“They then briefed for the next flight to Kainuk and Chesogon,” the report states.
In Kainuk, the helicopter was again refuelled before it departed for Cheptulel Boys High School in Chesogon.
The helicopter later landed at Cheptulel Boys High School at 1:36 pm.
After the visit, the CDF and his entourage departed for the Defence Forces Recruits Training School (RTS) in Eldoret at around 2 pm.
Just two minutes into the flight, however, the helicopter crashed on a community farm known as Shamba la Amani, only 1.3 nautical miles east of Cheptulel Boys High School (coordinates N 01° 17′ 49′′ E 035° 38′ 21′′), and burst into flames upon impact.
Local residents, together with KDF Personnel from the close by Samu Forward Operating Base (FOB) are said to have quickly responded, managing to rescue several passengers and extinguish the fire.
Four of the survivors of the crash were then quickly airlifted by Hughes MD 500 Helicopters to Endo Health Centre.
Regrettably, two among them succumbed to their injuries while the other two were later air-lifted to Eldoret Regional Hospital.
The ten bodies were later flown to Nairobi. According to the report, the cause of the crash was engine failure.
“The helicopter suffered Category Five (Cat 5) Damage (Beyond Economic Repair),” it states.
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