Tracking final flight: How MP Ngeno’s helicopter moved across counties before disappearing from radar

Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir at JKIA on March 1, 2026./SCREENGRAB

Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir has outlined the final movements of the ill-fated helicopter that crashed moments after disappearing from radar, killing Emurua Dikirr MP Johana Ngeno and five others.

Addressing the press at JKIA, Chirchir provided a detailed timeline of the aircraft’s journey on the day of the tragedy, tracing its movements from departure to the final seconds before it vanished from air traffic control systems.

According to the CS, the helicopter departed Wilson Airport at 11:04am, piloted by Captain George Were. It arrived at Ngeno’s home in Emurua Dikirr at 11:55 am.

After a brief stop, the aircraft departed at 12:20pm heading to Mara Rianta, where it landed at 12:29pm. Ngeno had traveled to the area to join the family and rescue teams in the search for two people who had drowned the previous Sunday.

The visit was part of his engagement with constituents during the ongoing rescue efforts. The helicopter later departed Mara Rianta at 12:54pm and arrived in Endebess at 2:07pm.

It subsequently left for Eldoret Airstrip at 2:29pm to refuel, landing at 3:29pm. However, in a clarification of the flight sequence, Chirchir noted that the aircraft departed Eldoret again at 3:07pm en route to Endebess, where it arrived at 3:41pm.

From Endebess, the helicopter took off at 3:43pm and landed in Tabolwa at 4:20pm. It then departed Tabolwa at 4:25pm. Just a minute later, at 4:26pm, the aircraft disappeared from radar.

Air traffic controllers immediately lost contact, triggering concern and eventual confirmation of a crash. Chirchir said his ministry, through the Air Accident Investigations Department (AAID), has already commenced investigations to establish the cause of the crash.

A team from the department is currently at the scene combing through the wreckage and collecting critical evidence to reconstruct the final moments of the flight.

“The investigation is being conducted in accordance with the rules and standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation,” Chirchir said, referring to International Civil Aviation Organisation protocols that guide aircraft accident probes globally.

He assured the public that the probe would be thorough and independent, focusing on technical, operational, and environmental factors that may have contributed to the crash.

A preliminary report is expected within the next 30 days, in line with international aviation investigation standards.

The findings are anticipated to shed light on what led to the helicopter’s sudden disappearance from radar and the subsequent crash that has left the nation in mourning.