Kenya Airways Flight 431
Encyclopedia
Kenya Airways
Flight 431 was an international scheduled Abidjan
–Lagos
–Nairobi
passenger service, operated with an Airbus A310-304, registration 5Y-BEN, that crashed into the sea, off the coast of Côte d'Ivoire
, on at 21:09:24 GMT, shortly after take-off from Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport. There were 179 people on board, of whom 169 were passengers. It was the first fatal accident for Kenya Airways.
as Flight KQ430, and was due to land in Abidjan after a stopover in Lagos. Many Nigerians who traveled to Dubai
for duty-free shopping patronized this flight. The accident flight flew directly to Abidjan because of weather conditions over Lagos. More specifically, harmattan
winds blowing southwards from the Sahara
made skies over Lagos unusually hazy on that day, and all incoming flights at Lagos Airport were halted.
After a three-hour layover, the plane took off for Lagos at 21:08 GMT and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean
, 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) east of the airport, off the coast of Côte d'Ivoire
, about a minute later.
This was Kenya Airways' first fatal accident. After the accident, Kenya Airways set up a crisis centre at the Nairobi Inter-Continental Hotel in Nairobi
.
The 168 deceased came from 33 countries. The nationality of one additional deceased victim was not determined. Following is a list of the nationalities of the deceased:
Powerboat operators and fishermen extracted at least seven of the survivors from the water. Of those survivors, three were Nigerians, one was a Kenyan, one was a Gambian, one was an Indian, and one was a Rwandan. One survivor, a Frenchman, swam almost 1 miles (1.6 km) to the shore. Of the 12 initial survivors, 2 died in the hospital. Of the 10 ultimate survivors, 9 received serious injuries and one received minor injuries. Due to contact with jet fuel in the water, four survivors received first degree burns.
The University Hospital Medical Center at Treichville (Centre Hospitalier et Universitaire de Treichville (CHU)) in Abidjan
examined the deceased. The center identified 103 of the bodies and was unable to identify the other 43. Of the 145 of the deceased, 108 died from serious poly-traumatic lesions, 22 died from a combination of drowning lesions and serious poly-traumatic lesions, and 15 died solely from drowning lesions. The hospital could not determine the injuries sustained by one of the bodies. According to the autopsy reports, a violent deceleration or a twisting or cutting action resulted in the injuries. 43 of the deceased received first degree burns due to contact with the jet fuel spilled in the water. The pilots died from poly-traumatic lesions and the first degree burns from the jet fuel.
, the accident investigation authority of France, assisted in the search for the flight recorders. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada
analyzed the flight safety recorders.
The Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire published the original French language accident report. The BEA published its English version of the report.
The sequence of events were as follows:
To date, the accident has the highest death toll of any aviation accident involving an Airbus A310
.
paid compensation to families of 60 deceased Nigerians. Each family received $130,000 USD
(about 1.1 million ZAR
).
Kenya Airways
Kenya Airways Ltd., more commonly known as Kenya Airways, is the flag carrier and largest airline of Kenya. The company was founded in 1977, after the dissolution of East African Airways. The carrier's head office is located in Embakasi, Nairobi, with its main base at Jomo Kenyatta International...
Flight 431 was an international scheduled Abidjan
Abidjan
Abidjan is the economic and former official capital of Côte d'Ivoire, while the current capital is Yamoussoukro. it was the largest city in the nation and the third-largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris, and Kinshasa but before Montreal...
–Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
–Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
passenger service, operated with an Airbus A310-304, registration 5Y-BEN, that crashed into the sea, off the coast of Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
, on at 21:09:24 GMT, shortly after take-off from Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport. There were 179 people on board, of whom 169 were passengers. It was the first fatal accident for Kenya Airways.
Description of the accident
The aircraft, named “Harambee Star”, had been bought new by the airline in 1986. The flight originated in NairobiNairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
as Flight KQ430, and was due to land in Abidjan after a stopover in Lagos. Many Nigerians who traveled to Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
for duty-free shopping patronized this flight. The accident flight flew directly to Abidjan because of weather conditions over Lagos. More specifically, harmattan
Harmattan
The Harmattan is a dry and dusty West African trade wind. It blows south from the Sahara into the Gulf of Guinea between the end of November and the middle of March...
winds blowing southwards from the Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
made skies over Lagos unusually hazy on that day, and all incoming flights at Lagos Airport were halted.
After a three-hour layover, the plane took off for Lagos at 21:08 GMT and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) east of the airport, off the coast of Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
, about a minute later.
This was Kenya Airways' first fatal accident. After the accident, Kenya Airways set up a crisis centre at the Nairobi Inter-Continental Hotel in Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
.
Passengers and crew
Most of the passengers and crew were reported to be Nigerians. Two of the crewmembers on board worked for KLM.The 168 deceased came from 33 countries. The nationality of one additional deceased victim was not determined. Following is a list of the nationalities of the deceased:
| Nationality | Number |
|---|---|
| 84 | |
| 20 | |
| 8 | |
| "Congo" (specific country undisclosed) | 5 |
| 5 | |
| 4 | |
| 3 | |
| 3 | |
| 2 | |
| 2 | |
| 2 | |
| 2 | |
| 2 | |
| 2 | |
| 2 | |
| 2 | |
| 2 | |
| 2 | |
| 2 | |
| 2 | |
| 1 | |
| 1 | |
| 1 | |
| 1 | |
| 1 | |
| 1 | |
| 1 | |
| 1 | |
| 1 | |
| 1 | |
| 1 | |
| 1 | |
| Undetermined | 1 |
| Total (33 nationalities) | 169 |
Powerboat operators and fishermen extracted at least seven of the survivors from the water. Of those survivors, three were Nigerians, one was a Kenyan, one was a Gambian, one was an Indian, and one was a Rwandan. One survivor, a Frenchman, swam almost 1 miles (1.6 km) to the shore. Of the 12 initial survivors, 2 died in the hospital. Of the 10 ultimate survivors, 9 received serious injuries and one received minor injuries. Due to contact with jet fuel in the water, four survivors received first degree burns.
The University Hospital Medical Center at Treichville (Centre Hospitalier et Universitaire de Treichville (CHU)) in Abidjan
Abidjan
Abidjan is the economic and former official capital of Côte d'Ivoire, while the current capital is Yamoussoukro. it was the largest city in the nation and the third-largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris, and Kinshasa but before Montreal...
examined the deceased. The center identified 103 of the bodies and was unable to identify the other 43. Of the 145 of the deceased, 108 died from serious poly-traumatic lesions, 22 died from a combination of drowning lesions and serious poly-traumatic lesions, and 15 died solely from drowning lesions. The hospital could not determine the injuries sustained by one of the bodies. According to the autopsy reports, a violent deceleration or a twisting or cutting action resulted in the injuries. 43 of the deceased received first degree burns due to contact with the jet fuel spilled in the water. The pilots died from poly-traumatic lesions and the first degree burns from the jet fuel.
Investigation
The Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation CivileBureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la sécurité de l'Aviation Civile
The Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile is an agency of the French government, responsible for investigating aviation accidents and making safety recommendations based on what is learned from those investigations. It is headquartered in Building 153 on the grounds...
, the accident investigation authority of France, assisted in the search for the flight recorders. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada
Transportation Safety Board of Canada
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada , officially the Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board is the agency of the Government of Canada responsible for maintaining...
analyzed the flight safety recorders.
The Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire published the original French language accident report. The BEA published its English version of the report.
The sequence of events were as follows:
- An errant stall warning sounds immediately after takeoff.
- The pilot put the aircraft into a descent.
- The crew did not apply maximum engine power.
- The ground proximity warning did not sound because the stall warning took precedence.
- Overspeed warning sounds.
- The Captain gives the order to climb.
- The aircraft collides with the sea.
To date, the accident has the highest death toll of any aviation accident involving an Airbus A310
Airbus A310
The Airbus A310 is a medium- to long-range twin-engine widebody jet airliner. Launched in July 1978, it was the second aircraft created by Airbus Industrie,a consortium of European aerospace companies, Airbus is now fully owned by EADS and since 2001 has been known as Airbus SAS. the consortium of...
.
Aftermath
Kenya AirwaysKenya Airways
Kenya Airways Ltd., more commonly known as Kenya Airways, is the flag carrier and largest airline of Kenya. The company was founded in 1977, after the dissolution of East African Airways. The carrier's head office is located in Embakasi, Nairobi, with its main base at Jomo Kenyatta International...
paid compensation to families of 60 deceased Nigerians. Each family received $130,000 USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
(about 1.1 million ZAR
South African rand
The rand is the currency of South Africa. It takes its name from the Witwatersrand , the ridge upon which Johannesburg is built and where most of South Africa's gold deposits were found. The rand has the symbol "R" and is subdivided into 100 cents, symbol "c"...
).
See also
- Lists of accidents and incidents on commercial airliners
External links
- Accident Report - Ministry of Transport, Republic of Côte d'Ivoire - Translated into English by the Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation CivileBureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la sécurité de l'Aviation CivileThe Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile is an agency of the French government, responsible for investigating aviation accidents and making safety recommendations based on what is learned from those investigations. It is headquartered in Building 153 on the grounds...
(BEA) and hosted on the BEA website - Accident Report - Ministry of Transport, Republic of Côte d'Ivoire - Hosted on the website of the BEA
- Site of families of victims. In English and French
- Entry in the Major Commercial Airline Disasters Index
- In memoriam: Dr Robert N. Mshana." World Health OrganizationWorld Health OrganizationThe World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
- Information on lost personnel from the United Bible Societies
- Information on lost personnel from Wycliffe Bible Translators