Incident
On 4 January 2015, about 0840 local time, a Fokker 27-50 cargo aircraft, registration 5Y-SIB, operated by Skyward Express Ltd, executed a gear-up landing at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (HKJK) in Nairobi, Kenya. The flight had diverted to HKJK due to a mechanical malfunction of the landing gear. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and the airplane was operating under an IFR flight plan. None of the ten persons on board were injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged; no fire occurred.
Circumstances
The flight originated at Wajir Airport (HKWJ) with the original destination of Nairobi-Wilson Airport (HKNW). During departure from HKWJ, the aircraft experienced a bird strike. After takeoff on runway 15, at approximately 200 feet and at a speed of Vref +10 knots, the crew noticed a flock of birds and attempted to evade them. While increasing the rate of climb, they felt a thud indicating a collision. After clearing the flock, they inspected the instruments and confirmed all aircraft systems were functioning satisfactorily, then continued the flight.
The en route segment was uneventful. While in the traffic pattern at Wilson Airport, the crew activated the landing gear extension, which resulted in an unsafe indication for the left main gear. For about an hour, while circling overhead the airport, the crew attempted to resolve the anomaly but were unsuccessful. They declared an emergency after confirming that the left main landing gear was locked in the up position and would not lower. The crew consulted extensively with air traffic services and company ground personnel, and elected to divert to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
According to ATC transcripts from Wilson control tower, at 0641:41 the crew requested to join downwind for runway 07. At 0646:50 they requested to extend downwind, and at 0648:03 confirmed they were checking the undercarriage. At 0654:08 they declared an emergency with the left main landing gear locked up. They requested more time to troubleshoot and asked ATC to brief their company. At 0731:07 the crew stated they were ready for a gear-up landing and preferred HKJK. Shortly after, they changed their intention to land at HKNW, but at 0749:31, after consulting with their company, they agreed to proceed to HKJK. At 0802, the crew made a successful gear-up landing on runway 06 at HKJK.
Aftermath
The aircraft became disabled after landing and blocked both runways for more than four hours while airport authorities worked to remove it and restore operations.
Probable Cause
According to the official findings, the cause of the accident was the failure of the left Main Landing Gear (MLG) to extend during landing due to a bird strike which disabled proper functioning of the mechanical system that controls the opening and closing of the door to the left MLG.