Acting director of the Department of Civil Aviation Samuel Kalua told Zodiak Online preliminary findings indicate the aircraft crashed following engine failure a few minutes after takeoff from KIA.

Said Kalua, “About 14 minutes after takeoff, the pilot informed the air traffic controller at the airport that they had an emergency and requested for immediate landing which was granted; however, we learnt a few minutes later that the aircraft had crashed.”

He added after noticing the problem, the pilot tried to glide towards the airport but it crashed about 1.2 kilometers short of the runway.

According to Kalua, the aircraft, registration number 7Q-SFC, belongs to Eastrise Aviation, a pilot training institution based at KIA and was on a training drill with two people on board: an instructor and a student pilot.

He said they are waiting for a medical report from the hospital.

“The two have been rushed to the hospital for medical examination but they managed to come out of the aircraft on their own.”

The aircraft, he said, has a damaged nose, wheels, propellers and wings but the cabin is intact.

Eyewitnesses told us the aircraft produced a thudding sound as it crashed and was covered in a cloud of dust.

Kalua said they will investigate the cause of the accident with focus on what led to the engine failure.