Report blames pilot error for Tanzania plane crash

Nineteen people were killed in the 6 November crash into Lake Victoria.

In Summary

• An initial report from the transport ministry painted a damning picture of the emergency services' preparedness to deal with the disaster prompting anger over the response.

• President Samia Suluhu promised a formal investigation into the matter as the government distanced itself from the preliminary report.

Nineteen people died in the plane crash
Nineteen people died in the plane crash
Image: AFP

A report of an investigation into the November plane crash in Tanzania says pilots failed to heed warnings from an automatic alarm system.

Nineteen people were killed in the 6 November crash into Lake Victoria, as the plane attempted to land in the lakeside town of Bukoba.

An initial report from the transport ministry painted a damning picture of the emergency services' preparedness to deal with the disaster prompting anger over the response.

President Samia Suluhu promised a formal investigation into the matter as the government distanced itself from the preliminary report.

On Thursday, a second preliminary report said a warning system that three alerts about "the excessively high descent rate" was "not followed by corrective action by the flight crew".

The report also noted that the weather condition was bad amid poor visibility, which "may have contributed to the failure to react to terrain warnings during the final approach".

Fishermen were first at the site of the crash, and spearheaded rescue efforts.

There had been 43 people on board and 24 survived. The two pilots were among the dead.

Nineteen people died in the plane crash
Nineteen people died in the plane crash
Image: AFP
Nineteen people died in the plane crash
Nineteen people died in the plane crash
Image: AFP
Nineteen people died in the plane crash
Nineteen people died in the plane crash
Image: AFP
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