Two people have been confirmed dead after two aircraft collided while overflying the Nairobi National Park on Tuesday morning shortly after taking off from Wilson Airport.

According to police who have launched an investigation into the mid-air crash, the pilot of airplane belonging to a local flying school and his aviation student lost their lives in the incident that has left Kenyans in shock and raising many questions.

According to Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), the 10:05am crash involved a Cessna aircraft operated by Ninety-Nines Flying School and a Dash8 plane belonging to Safarilink Aviation Limited.

KCAA says officers from the Air Accident Investigation Department (AAID) and the National Police Service are leading a probe into the deadly crash that has left more questions than answers.

However, a statement by Safarilink contradicts the KCAA one and places at 9:45am Tuesday the time of the aviation accident involving its aircraft headed for Diani from Nairobi.

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“Safarilink Aviation wishes to report that this morning at 9:45 Local Time our flight number 053 with 39 passengers and 5 crew on board headed to Diani experienced a loud bang soon after take-off,” said Safarilink Aviation in its statement.

It added: “The crew decided to immediately turn back to Nairobi-Wilson Airport for further inspection and assessment and landed safely.”

Safarilink says all its passengers and crew landed safely back at Wilson Airport in Langata even as the bodies of the two deceased were removed from the scene at Nairobi National Park and taken to a city morgue. 

KCAA and the National Police Service have promised to give more updates on the crash that now shifts attention to the airline and traffic control safety in Kenya following a rise in aircraft accidents in the last few years.

Ninety-Nines Flying School was established in 1975 and provides flying training for private, commercial and airline sectors and offers training for self and corporate sponsored pilots.