French air accident investigators will be deployed to the scene of Sunday’s tragic plane crash in Bukoba, Tanzania to assist in the investigation of Precision Air plane crash that killed at least 19 people.
A spokesperson for France’s Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA) air accident investigation agency said on Monday that it was sending a team to Tanzania along with technical advisers from Franco-Italian plane maker ATR.
The plane, which crashed in Lake Victoria, was an ATR 42-500 turboprop made by the company.
Flight PW494, operated by Precision Air, plunged into the lake during storms and heavy rain, on a second attempt to make the ill-fated landing as it arrived from Dar es Salaam.
Tanzanian Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said investigators had launched a probe into what had happened and experts say that the investigations could take months.
Under international rules, the locally-led investigation would usually include the participation of authorities in France, where the plane was designed, and Canada, where its Pratt & Whitney engines were developed.
Source: theeastafrican.co.ke