A flight scheduled between Nairobi and Elwak in Kenya concluded with a Dash 8 skidding off the runway due to a gear collapse. The aircraft had 37 passengers and four crew members on board.
After a successful touchdown on the gravel runway at Elwak, the main landing gear failed and resulted in the aircraft skidding towards the side of the runway, which ended up resting on its side-belly. Passengers were seen to be evacuating the plane and moving away from the runway.
The Skyward Dash 8 (registered as 5Y-GRS) is 27 years old, operated by DAC Aviation since 2003 on a wet-lease basis. It has suffered significant damage because of the incident and is likely to be decommissioned.
The airline reported no casualties or injuries , stating that all passengers and crew were safe. It is currently underway in investigating the leading cause of the incident.
Skyward Express was established in 2013 from the embers of Skyward International Aviation. It operates a fleet of fourteen aircraft, made up of three De Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8s and eleven Fokker F50s / F60s. The Dash 8-100 involved in the incident is not listed as the airlines owned aircraft.
