Charter Flight Plows Into Mt. Kenya

Twelve American tourists and two South African crewmembers died Saturday when their Fairchild SW-4 turbo-prop flew directly into Mt. Kenya, about 1200 feet below the highest of the mountains three peaks. The flight was on its way to a game preserve, carrying members of three families, when it plowed into Kenya's second-tallest mountain, just as the weather was reportedly clearing up at dusk, according to Bongo Woodley, senior Kenya Wildlife Service warden in charge of Mount Kenya National Park.

The aircraft impacted the mountainside 16,000 feet above sea level, according to park rangers close to the scene. They were able to hike up the mountain to the wreckage, where they found no survivors. The rangers recovered eight American passports.

"We heard it immediately, and I have flown over the site and seen the crash, and there do not appear to be any survivors," Woodley said.

An executive with Air-2000, a South African charter company, said the SW-4 (file photo, above), bearing registration number ZSOYI departed from Lanseria airport near Johannesburg at 6 a.m. Saturday and landed at Nairobi's Wilson Airport about 2 p.m. The aircraft, crew and passengers left two hours later for the Buffalo Springs National Reserve, about 135 miles north of Nairobi. Recovery teams will try to bring back the remains on Monday.

FMI: www.air-2000.com