A Cessna Citation 560 aircraft operated by AMREF Flying Doctors crashed Thursday afternoon near Mwihoko Secondary School in Utawala, Nairobi, shortly after departing Wilson Airport.
The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) confirmed that the aircraft, registered 5Y-FDM and bearing radio call sign FDS03, departed Wilson Airport at 2:14 PM local time, bound for Hargeisa, Somalia.
"The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) confirms an aircraft accident involving a Cessna Citation 560 ambulance aircraft Registration: 5Y-FDM, Radio Call sign: FDS03, earlier this afternoon," KCAA reported.
By 2:17 PM, both radio and radar contact had been lost—just three minutes into the flight.
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According to KCAA’s preliminary report, the aircraft had four people on board, comprising crew and medical personnel.
The aircraft went down in a built-up area near the secondary school.
Emergency operations were immediately launched, led by the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and the National Police Service.
The Air Accident Investigation Department (AAID) dispatched a team to the site to begin investigating the cause of the crash.
In a separate statement, AMREF Flying Doctors confirmed that one of its aircraft, Cessna Citation XLS, registration 5Y-FDM, was involved in a fatal accident .
"[AMREF Flying Doctors), confirms that one of its aircraft, Cessna Citation XLS, registration 5Y-FDM, was involved in a fatal accident today. The aircraft took off from Wilson at 1417hrs en-route to Hargeisa, Somalia and crashed at Mwihoko area, Nairobi," AMREF said.
AMREF added that it is cooperating with aviation and emergency authorities to establish the facts.
“We are also offering all necessary assistance to the authorities as investigations continue.”
AMRED noted that all official updates will be provided via their AMREF Flying Doctors’ website and social media platforms.
Investigations into the crash are ongoing and further details are expected as authorities process findings from the site.
