Accident
The aircraft was on a routine charter flight from Mombasa to Kichwa Tembo in the Masai Mara Game Reserve. At approximately 1140 hours, while overflying Musiara Airstrip, it collided with a white-headed vulture. The bird smashed through the windscreen and struck the pilot, incapacitating him immediately. The aircraft entered an uncontrolled shallow dive, descended with the left wing low, and struck the ground approximately 40 metres from the threshold of runway 09. Upon impact, it exploded into flames and disintegrated. The fuselage came to rest about 300 metres from the first point of impact. The remains of the bird were found near the fuselage, unburned.
Aircraft and Crew
The aircraft was a Piper PA-31 (Navajo) 310B, serial number 31-7300902, manufactured in 1973. It was powered by two Lycoming TIO-540-A2C engines, each producing 310 horsepower. The registration at the time of the accident was 5Y-SHV, owned by Eagle Aviation Ltd. and based in Mombasa. The pilot was Captain Benjamin Gills, an American national born in 1965. He held a Kenyan Airline Transport Pilot's Licence and had a total of 2,201.2 flight hours. His medical was valid at the time. The aircraft carried eight passengers and the pilot.
Investigation
The investigation determined that the bird strike incapacitated the pilot, causing the aircraft to enter an uncontrolled manoeuvre. The bird was identified as an adult African white-backed vulture (Gyps africanus), weighing approximately 5.4 kg with a wingspan of about 2.2 m. The aircraft's windscreen and centre post were shattered. The pilot's autopsy revealed injuries consistent with impact, including dislocation of the second thoracic vertebra, severed aorta, and extensive fractures. No soot was found in the trachea, indicating the pilot was likely incapacitated before the fire. The aircraft had been operating under a valid Certificate of Airworthiness, and the weight and balance were within limits.
Aftermath
All nine occupants sustained fatal injuries and were burnt beyond recognition. The aircraft was completely destroyed by impact and fire. The accident was not survivable. The remains of the vulture were collected for forensic analysis at the National Museums of Kenya.