Feb 1, 2002

A faulty alarm and pilot error have been blamed for a Kenya Airways plane crash, which killed 169 people off the coast of the Ivory Coast in Africa two years ago, the transportation ministry said yesterday.

A government probe, assisted by experts from Kenya and France, concluded the crash was caused by the pilot's response to an alarm that inaccurately indicated the plane had stalled, the ministry said in a statement.

The pilot failed to complete established procedure for such an emergency, the statement said, citing the investigators' report.

Take-off conditions also contributed to the accident, which occurred at night, hampering the crew's ability to judge the plane's distance from the sea.

The transportation ministry said all three countries involved in the probe approved the final report, which was not immediately released to reporters.

The Airbus 310, which was bound for Lagos, Nigeria, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on January 30, 2000, shortly after takeoff from Abidjan's seaside airport, killing all but 10 people aboard.

Critics claimed more people might have been saved had the rescue operation been more professional. Most of the survivors were pulled in by volunteers who raced to the scene in private boats, and one survivor swam to shore.

The investigators' recommendations included suggestions concerning rescue services at airports based along the coast, the statement said.

Airwise

-- Anonymous, February 02, 2002