Uganda's aviation authority starts probe into Rwanda plane mishap
What you need to know:
- RwandAir CRJ 900 aircraft veered off the runway on landing at 5:31am, leading to the closure of the operations leaving hundreds of travellers stranded.
The Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) has kicked off an investigation into what caused the RwandAir aircraft to skid off the newly resurfaced runway at Entebbe International Airport.
RwandAir CRJ 900 aircraft veered off the runway on landing at 5:31am, leading to the closure of the operations leaving hundreds of travellers stranded.
No life or property was lost in the incident.
The director general of UCAA, Mr Fred K. Bamwesigye, yesterday said the investigations will meet international practices.
“In line with international practice, a comprehensive investigation have been fully constituted to establish the exact cause of the incident,” Mr Bamwesigye told a press conference.
There was travel chaos and stampede among passengers stranded at the airport after the regulator reversed its evening notice to airmen in aviation parlance called Notam, that it was safe to land and take-off after the incident.
Mr Bamwesigye dismissed allegations, which he said are being peddled on social media that the runway 17/35 is non-compliant to international standards.
He said the runway marks are also visible and are renewed every six months.
Mr Bamwesigye said the delay to reopen the operations at the airport were to allow experts carry out preliminary investigations to protect the evidence.
Despite the resumption of the flights at Entebbe International Airport, some travellers complained on social media that they were still unable to travel back or out of the country because airlines are still dealing with backlog.
This was the second incident a plane is skidding off the runway.
DON'T MISS: Rwanda plane skids off runway at Entebbe airport
In January 2019, an Ethiopian Airlines (Boeing 737-800), carrying 139 people, skidded off the runway when it landed at just after midnight.
