Precision Air ATR lands short and sinks in Lake Victoria

A Tanzanian carrier, Precision Air, operating a service from Dar es Salaam International Airport (DAR/HTDA), Tanzania to Bukoba Airport (BKZ/HTBU), Tanzania has crashed into a lake on approach to Bukoba Airport.

A Precision Air spokesman believes at least 19 fatalities resulted from an ATR 42-500 accident at Bukoba during which the turboprop came to rest submerged in Lake Victoria. The weather at the time of the accident was said to have been poor.

The aircraft had been “approaching” Bukoba, in the north of Tanzania, and “crash landed” in the lake.

But the Tanzania civil aviation authority says the aircraft landed in the water “short of the runway”, some 500m from the threshold. This suggests the aircraft was conducting an approach to Bukoba’s runway 31, the threshold for which is about 130m from the lake shore.

Thirty-nine passengers and four crew members were on board. Precision Air says 24 of them survived the accident, according to emergency services.

The type of approach and the weather conditions at the time of the event, at 08:53 on 6 November, have not been confirmed.
The turboprop was delivered new to Precision Air in 2010.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: Precision Air

Code: PW/PRF

Aircraft: ATR 42-500

Registration: 5H-PWF

Serial Number: 0819

Engines: Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127M

First Flew: 16/08/2010

Age: 12Yrs. 3Mts.

Precision Air Services Plc is a Tanzanian airline based at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam. The airline operates scheduled passenger services to Nairobi, Entebbe, and to both airports and airstrips throughout Tanzania. 

THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS GO OUT TO THE FAMILIES AND FRIENDS DURING THESE HARD TIMES.