Authorities are investigating a fatal plane crash involving a Kenya-registered cargo aircraft that went down southwest of Mogadishu, Somalia, killing all five people on board.
The Somalia Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) confirmed the incident, which occurred on the evening of Saturday, March 22. In a statement, the agency expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and confirmed that all crew members perished instantly.
The aircraft, identified as a DHC-5D Buffalo with serial number 109 and registration 5Y-RBA, was owned by Kenya-based Trident Aviation Limited. It was returning to Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport from Dhobley, a town in Somalia’s Lower Juba region, where it had delivered supplies to African Union forces. The crash occurred at approximately 5:43 p.m. local time, just before the plane was due to land.
Investigators are yet to determine the cause of the accident. The identities of the crew members have not been disclosed.
Somalia’s challenging aviation landscape, marked by aging aircraft, limited infrastructure, and difficult flying conditions, has contributed to frequent air accidents in the country. In January 2024, another Kenyan cargo plane crashed in Somalia while transporting humanitarian aid for the World Food Programme (WFP), killing two people.
The DHC-5D Buffalo, a short-takeoff-and-landing aircraft, is widely used for cargo transport in remote and rugged areas. Aviation authorities continue to assess the circumstances surrounding the latest crash.