Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Arusha Tanzania, United Republic Of
Wednesday, September 1, 1999 7:20 GMT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
On September 1, 1999, about 1020 local time (0320 eastern daylight time), a Cessna 404, Tanzanian registration 5HNAT, was destroyed at impact near Mount Meru, in northern Tanzania. The airplane was operated by Northern Air, Ltd. The search for the airplane was reportedly hampered by low clouds and drizzle. The search team reached the site after dawn, September 2. All 12 persons on board were fatally injured. The pilot and one passenger were reportedly from Tanzania. Ten passengers were from the United States and part of a tour chartered by Abercrombie and Kent, Inc. The flight was conducted under the authority of the Civil Aviation Administration, Tanzania.
The accident flight was one of two that were en route in an estimated 1-hour flight from Serener airstrip in Serengeti National Park to Kilimanjaro International Airport. An Air Kenya charter fight was waiting for both airplanes at Kilimanjaro Airport, to transport the U.S. tourists to Wilson Airport, Nairobi, Kenya. The other airplane landed safely at Kilimanjaro Airport, with seven U.S. passengers, also from the tour group. One pilot reportedly radioed to the other to watch-out for weather. Initial reports conflict regarding which aircraft was the source of the radio transmission. The accident flight impacted about 8,500 feet mean sea level, on the western slope of 15,067 foot Mt. Meru. The U.S. Embassy's Acting Deputy Chief of Mission in Dar-es-Salaam, reports that air traffic control lost contact with the flight about 1020 local time.
The airplane was manufactured in 1981, as a Cessna 404, serial no. 0805.
The investigation is being conducted under the Deputy Chief of Accident Investigations, Civil Aviation Administration, Tanzania. Dennis Jones, Chief of the Regional Operations and General Aviation Division, National Transportation Safety Board, is the U. S. Accredited Representative. Advisors to the U.S. Accredited Representative are Lyle Streeter, Federal Aviation Administration, AAI-100; Greg Schmidt, Cessna Aircraft, Wichita, Kansas; and Dale Carter, Teledyne Continental Motors, based in Atlanta.
For further information, contact Mr. John Myamwihura, Deputy Chief of Investigations-Accidents, Civil Aviation Authority, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania; tel. 255 51 29181/2/3/4 or 44128/9, fax 46798.
U.S. Accredited Representative, Dennis L. Jones, AS-20, NTSB, Washington, D.C. 20594, tel. 202 314-6320.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
Not Yet Reported
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 9/1/1999 |
| Event Day of the Week | Wednesday |
| Time of Event | 720 |
| Event Time Zone | -- |
| Event City | ARUSHA |
| Event State | -- |
| Event Country | TANZANIA, UNITED REPUBLIC OF |
| Zipcode of the event site | |
| Event Date Year | 1999 |
| Event Date Month | 9 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | -- |
| Event Location Longitude | -- |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Unknown |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Witness |
| Time of the weather observation | 0 |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 0 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | |
| Lighting Conditions | Not Reported |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Unknown |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Unknown |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | -- |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 0 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 12 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 12 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 0 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Sep 1 1999 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1100 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jul 20 2001 8:39AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | -- |
| NTSB Number | IAD99RA063 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Non-U.S., Commercial |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | Unknown |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | Unknown |
| Aircraft Explosion | Unknown |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Cessna |
| Aircraft Model | 404 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 404 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 0 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | Unknown |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | -- |
| Number of Engines | -- |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Unknown |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | Unknown |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | |
| Aircraft Owner City | |
| Aircraft Owner State | |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | -- |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | TANZANIA |
| Operator State | OF |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | Yes - certificate holder |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | Unknown |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | Unknown |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | Unknown |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Unknown |
| Second Pilot on Board | Unknown |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | |
| Departure City | SERENER AIRSTRP |
| Departure State | OF |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 0 |
| Departure Time Zone | |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | KILIMANJARO APT |
| Destination State | OF |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | -- |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Oct 22 2001 3:26PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |