On the morning of 6 November, a Precision Air ATR 42-500 (MSN 819, registered 5H-PWF) with 4 crew and 39 passengers (including one infant) on board ditched into Lake Victoria while landing at Bukoba Airport (BKZ), Tanzania. The aircraft operated domestic flight PW494 between Dar Es Salaam and Bukoba. A search-and-rescue mission has started.
Preliminary reports suggest the was on final approach to runway 31 at the time of the accident. The weather at the time of the accident was said to have been poor.
Precision Air ATR-42 (5H-PWF, built 2010) ended in Lake Victoria on approach to runway 31 at Bukoba (HTBU), Tanzania with 53 on board. Flight #PW494 came from Dar Es Salaam. Rescue is ongoing. More to come.. pic.twitter.com/rEfBdbUmHQ
— JACDEC (@JacdecNew) November 6, 2022
Precision Air flight plunges into Lake Victoria when landing at Bukoba Airport in Tanzania, authorities say rescue operations underway
?: Courtesy pic.twitter.com/WJLYfGeVjw
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) November 6, 2022
Happening now: Precision Air ATR 42-500 crashes into Lake Victoria while on approach to Bukoba Airport, Tanzania. It's not immediately clear how many passengers/crew on board or if there are any fatalities in the accident. More to follow. pic.twitter.com/RkygWNHiCt
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) November 6, 2022
On social media, Precision Air announced the mishap and told that the rescue team was dispatched towards the site. The airline will communicate later about the accident.
Notice to the public pic.twitter.com/QvdMGeMynq
— Precision Air (@PrecisionAirTz) November 6, 2022
Precision Air communicated that 26 passengers were transported to a hospital for medical care.
“An investigation team consisting of Precision Air technical staff and TAA has also departed to join the rescue team on the ground,” the airline wrote in a second press statement, adding that “we have established information centres in Bukoba and Dar Es Salaam.”
Notice to the public – No. 2 pic.twitter.com/iSi6fqSGYF
— Precision Air (@PrecisionAirTz) November 6, 2022
UPDATE
According to Tanzanian Prime Minister Majaliwa, 19 of the 43 people onboard lost their lives in the crash. Some are still unaccounted for. Earlier, local authorities said 26 of those on the Precision Air flight from the coastal city of Dar es Salaam were rescued and taken to a hospital.
Precision Air flight #PW494: According to Tanzanian Prime Minister Majaliwa, 19 of the 43 on board people lost their lives in the crash. Some are still unaccounted for. https://t.co/oyBzxJkt37
— JACDEC (@JacdecNew) November 6, 2022
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