CDF Ogolla Crash: Details Of Probe Team's Visit To Chopper Maker In US

A team investigating the helicopter crash that killed former Chief of Defence Forces Gen Francis Ogolla and ten others travelled to the United States to collaborate with Bell Textron Inc., the manufacturer of the helicopter. This effort aims to determine the cause of the tragic incident that occurred on April 18, 2024, in Elgeyo Marakwet.

The probe, led by Brigadier Mohamed Salah Farah, Commander of Laikipia Air Base, includes a detailed examination of the chopper's mechanical integrity and the circumstances surrounding the crash. 

“We are engaging and have upscaled that up to the manufacturer Bell, of the U.S because they also have an interest,” Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale revealed on Wednesday, May 29.

“Our teams are now in the US and have gone with all the parts and once all that information is collected and recommendations are given to us, we will tell the country if it was mechanical or anything else.”

Defence Cabinet Secretary, Aden Duale during a meeting on May 8, 2024. /ADEN DUALE

The CS spoke during an interview on Citizen TV’s JKLive Show, more than a month since the chopper crashed in Elgeyo Marakwet, further revealing that the report would be made public but did not specify when, adding that the Defence Council would receive the report and hand it over to the Commander in Chief, President William Ruto.

Witnesses reported to a team dispatched to investigate the accident that the helicopter, a Bell UH-1H Huey II, dropped abruptly and landed on its belly shortly after takeoff, with its propeller not in motion.

The crash impact caused the engine to collapse, and the impact caused the rooftop engine to cave in, crushing the victims on board.

An autopsy confirmed that the victims had sustained multiple injuries. However, the cause of the crash remains unknown.

A military probe team, known as a Board of Inquiry and led by Brigadier Mohamed Salah Farah, the Commander of Laikipia Air Base, has been established, with police also assisting with the investigation.

President Ruto meanwhile assured the public of a thorough investigation, expressing confidence in the military's professionalism.

"The Kenya Defence Forces is as concerned as I am about the life of Ogolla. There will be no shroud of doubt on what happened to General Ogolla," Ruto affirmed.

The final report, which will be presented to the Defence Council and the Commander in Chief, will be made public to provide answers to Kenyan taxpayers and the families of the victims.

The investigative team is also scrutinizing the operational conditions of the pilots and the overall state of the military's aviation practices. They have also interviewed other Kenya Air Force pilots to gather comprehensive insights.

In a related development, multi-agency teams have been searching local villages for valuables stolen from the crash site. While some items, like mobile phones, have been traced, many are still missing. Gen Ogolla's family received only his wedding ring from the crash site.

CS Duale dismissed claims about the obsolescence of military equipment, citing the regular use of the Bell UH-1H Huey II in operational missions, and adding that the same model was involved in a fatal crash that killed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and other officials.

“I used the aircraft that killed Ogolla’s a number of times... more than 15 times. Prof Kindiki,  IG Koome all used it. We used it when we were going to operational areas. It is a very unique machine that can fly at night…our troops use it in very difficult terrain,” he argued.

“The helicopter in which the Iranian President and his foreign minister died is the same helicopter, it is Bell from the U.S. with two propellers.”

Gen Ogolla and nine other military officers and servicemen died in the helicopter crash on April 18 in the Sindar area, Kaben location, Tot division, in Elgeyo Marakwet County.

The affected chopper is among those that had been acquired from the US in 2016. The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF)-Kenya Air Force took delivery of six Bell UH-1H Huey II helicopters from the United States.

A helicopter carrying Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi takes off, near the Iran-Azerbaijan border, May 19, 2024. The helicopter with Raisi on board later crashed. /REUTERS