Tanzanian regional airline Precision Air on Monday confirmed that 19 of the 43 people on an ATR42-500 aircraft died when it crashed into Africa's Lake Victoria as it approached Bukoba Airport on November 6. The accident, which happened at 8.53 a.m. local time, occurred at the end of flight PW494 from the country’s capital, Dar es Salaam, with 39 passengers and four crew on board.
Media photos and videos of the crash scene show the twin turboprop aircraft (tail number 5H-PWF) partly submerged in apparently shallow water close to the shore of Lake Victoria. Local police commander William Mwampaghale told reporters that the aircraft crashed a little more than 100 meters (328 feet) from the end of Bukoba’s runway. ATR confirmed that it is supporting the ongoing investigation into the accident, which local media reports said happened during poor weather.
Privately owned Precision Air was founded in 1993. It has operated ATR aircraft since 2006, with a fleet that now consists of five of the 70-seat ATR42-500, two 48-seat ATR-500s, and a single 48-seat ATR42-600.