First Fatal Bell 505 Crash Kills Five In Kenya

The first fatal Bell 505 accident occurred Sunday night in Kenya, killing all five aboard—four U.S. tourists and the pilot, a Kenyan national. The accident occurred shortly after takeoff at 8:35 p.m. local time as the helicopter—S/N 65037, registered to KIDL Helicopter Operations of Nairobi—was conducting a tourist flight from Lake Turkana Central Island to Lobolo Camp.

Rescue workers located the wreckage at 3:20 a.m. on Monday after a search was coordinated by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) Rescue Coordination Center (RCC). An accident investigation has been launched by the Air Accident Investigation Department (AAID) of the Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing, Urban Development, and Public Works.

The pilot of the helicopter, Marious Magonga, was KIDL’s chief pilot. He held an ATP, multi-engine, and instructor ratings, had served in the Kenya Defense Forces, and had accumulated more than 5,500 hours of total time in helicopters.