[Ugnet] Garang wreckage

[Matek Opoko]

Citizens:

No wonder the son of Kaguta does not want to as much as get near a helicopter!!!!! ..Seeing the pictures below, we cannot blame him, can we?  So much for buying junk Russian helicopter One of this days the bulls turn in fry in a hecopter  Meanwhile ,due to rampant Corruption under the NRM , a few sycophants  have ended up pocketing the "a cut" so to say, from the puchase price of the helicopter and  pocketed it promptly!!

Matek

Article Published on: 8th September 2005

Garang wreckage

More details on moments before crash By Our Staff Writer WEEKLY OBSERVER Investigations into the presidential helicopter crash that killed Sudan Vice President Dr. John Garang on July 30 are continuing, with experts expected to return to the crash scene in Southern Sudan this week. They expect this to help them build on the picture already provided by the helicopter’s black boxes and its communication with Air Traffic Control before radar contact was lost 24 minutes after takeoff. The Weekly Observer last week published excerpts from the black box transcript that led international investigators to conclude that the crash was “probably an accident” contrary to earlier fears that Garang may have been assassinated. According to a source close to the investigation, the enquiry is now focusing on what might have caused the accident. “We have now virtually ruled out that this was deliberate Now we need to determine whether it was human error. If so, why? Was the pilot fatigued, overstressed? If it was mechanical fault, why didn’t the equipment on the aircraft perform the way it was supposed to?” the source said. WHAT REMAINED OF THE PRESIDENTIAL HELICOPTER: A photo from the scene of the July 30 crash that killed Dr John Garang. Experts shall investigate if something went wrong during the recent overhaul of the chopper, which cost $ 2.5 million. This line of investigation is critical because, according to President Museveni, the MI-172 chopper (VIP version) had capacity to show the pilots the altitude (level above the ground and sea level) using a radio altimeter and barometric altimeter, respectively. In a statement he issued soon after Garang’s death, Museveni said the helicopter was armed with radar that could detect bad clouds (weather) and mountain ranges up to l00 kilometres away. The chopper also had an Advanced Moving Map System (AMMS) to indicate exact global positioning and terrain such as mountains. This was in addition to a powerful floodlight to avoid hitting trees and other landing site obstacles. It was also supposed to give pilots audio warning whenever the aircraft was approaching a mountain. Manufacturers claimed even lightning could not hit the helicopter because it had been wired against that risk. Which leaves investigators with one critical question: Why didn’t the machine perform to installed perfection? The Weekly Observer has now accessed radar transcript for the ill-fated presidential chopper (Reg. AF-605) on its last three flights: Entebbe – Rwakitura; Rwakitura–Entebbe and Entebbe–Gulu (read New Site, Southern Sudan). The ill-fated journey started on July 29 at 1333 hrs when the Control Tower at Entebbe cleared Col. Peter Nyakairu to lift off for Rwakitura, the President’s country home in Mbarara). The pilot Col. Peter Nyakairu confirms he has 14 people on board, and fuel endurance of 2 hours and 30 minutes. Another piece of chopper debris The chopper lifts off without hitch and lands safely at destination. That was apparently Dr. Garang’s journey from Entebbe to Rwakitura. Soon it was July 30, 1555 hrs (3.55 p.m.). Chopper prepares to lift off from Mbarara for Entebbe. Pilot and Air Traffic Control (ATC) are communicating as follows: ATC: [Give estimated time of arrival Entebbe and number of persons on board.] Pilot Nyakairu (at 1558): From Mbarara estimated time of arrival Entebbe 1615. Persons on board 14; fuel – two hours. The chopper lands safely at Entebbe at 16.19 hrs (4.19 p.m.). Col. Nyakairu refuels the aircraft and at 1700 asks for permission to lift off for Gulu [codeword for New Site]. Pilot confirms to ATC that there are 14 people on board and fuel for four hours. Chopper lifts off at exactly 1700 hrs (5.00 p.m.). The fact that the pilot twice confirmed that the he had 14 people on board casts doubt on earlier speculative media reports, quoting some UN sources in Khartoum, that rescuers recovered three extra bodies from the crash site. This report, when it came out, implied that perhaps assassins hidden on the chopper had assassinated Garang. The Uganda government always insisted there only 14 people on board, a fact now confirmed from the black box voice recordings. At 1703, air traffic control warns AF-605 to beware of a light C172 aircraft training at Kajansi. Pilot answers that he will follow the helicopter route. Climbs to 5,500ft. Estimates arrival in ‘Gulu’ for 6.15 p.m. According to information available to The Weekly Observer, the Air Traffic Control lost radar contact with the presidential chopper 24 minutes after take off. This may initially have been deliberate as the pilot possibly wanted to conceal the real destination of his VIP passenger for security purposes. “When we are flying VIPs, we normally have codes for our destination. So for us Gulu meant New Site in Southern Sudan,” an Air Force officer told The Weekly Observer when asked why the pilot had told Air Traffic Control at Entebbe that he was flying to Gulu when his destination was actually New Site. Emergency communication between security and the Control Centre at the Tower in Entebbe in fact indicates that some of the officers in charge of coordinating flights actually believed the chopper was destined for Gulu. This might be one of the reasons Civil Aviation Authority officials reportedly told President Museveni in a meeting shortly after the crash that security agencies often disregard their professional advice or even file wrong flight plans for military-related aircraft. Control Centre officials were apparently alerted to the missing plane when the UPDF called asking about its whereabouts. The late Garang (L) talking to President Museveni before he met his death First voice says on phone: Somebody [from UPDF] called inquiring the whereabouts of the helicopter that went to Gulu Somebody called saying the helicopter did not land in Gulu Second voice: Call radar and find out if they saw helicopter crossing the Uganda-Sudan border The first voice says it was unlikely that the radar could detect the helicopter flying at that level (5,500ft). Commercial airliners generally cruise at 25,000-35,000ft where radar easily picks them up. Military jets may fly even higher, but choppers fly much lower. The missing gaps of what happened between the time the plane disappeared off the radar screens at Entebbe is provided by the contents of one of the black boxes – excerpts of which we published last week. The Weekly Observer can now confirm that the helicopter crashed with about 14 minutes before its estimated time of landing. The pilots apparently lost their way in the clouds and for some reason (probably mechanical fault), their equipment did not detect the mountain nor provide them with accurate altitude reading as it should have done. At one stage, the crew realise they are flying “too low” and one of the pilots asks his colleague to climb up. Likewise, the pilots did not seem familiar with the area and were constantly consulting the GPS (global positioning system and map). From their conversation, the pilots were very worried about the weather – especially a very bad cloud ahead. Ironically, earlier in the flight, the pilots – apparently referring to the fuel they had in the reserve tank, had joked that they would be “lucky to make it back to Entebbe”. It is a joke that would soon turn so cruel, so fatally prophetic! The pilot apparently did not want to scare his VIP passenger and he twice deliberately switched off phone contact with Garang. However, Garang sends the airhostess to find out why, after sensing the weather was bad and visibility possibly too low for safe landing. Clearly, until he hit that mountain, the pilot seemed confident that he was going to land safely. Below are additional excerpts from the rest of the conversation amongst the chopper crew and between them and Garang during those ill-fated last minutes of their lives. [Please note some bits of the transcript and specific terms used have been withheld for security considerations – Editor] Other crew: I can see the ground when I look down Nyakairu: How many miles to go? [other crew: 40] Nyakairu: 40! So we should start descending when we cross the border. The ground is near. That floodlight of ours. Does it have a time limit? Other crew: Not more than 20 minutes. Nyakairu: We are remaining with 35 miles. [Presses button to speak to Garang]. Garang: Would we be able to make it? Nyakairu: Yes, Sir. I will tell you if we are not able. He then disconnects phone to Garang. Sees mountains and says, ‘these are the mountains. Which are those hills? These are the ones at the border?’ Other crew: Bado. Increase the scale. Increase. Later : Kalongo yiko pande yi. I have been saying we climb higher. Yiko pembeni Other crew: These are the ones I have been telling you about (on the map). Some 2000 metres Nyakairu: I have been saying let us climb higher Nyakairu and co-pilot check their fuel supply. 200 litres left in the auxiliary tank Nyakairu apparently to co-pilot: What is our GPS? Answer: 137. If we go into valley, we shall have left the rain behind. But I can’t still see the ground. We have passed so near. This is a tall one (mountain)... Garang speaks to Nyakairu: I wanted to talk to you The phone is not working Nyakairu: I switched off deliberately 14 minutes to go. This is not Kidepo Valley. Nyakairu: How many miles? 24! We can leave the clouds. This is Kidepo Valley Check the other GPS. Distance 22km. I don’t want to enter those clouds. If we could go through . We shall see them. Co-pilot to Nyakairu: Do you see the ground ahead Sir? Nyakairu: I can see. Later Nyakairu: This is our destination This is the situation... Be on the lookout They search Nyakairu: This is very steep ground. There are bad clouds and weather ahead. Concentrate on the GPS and the ground, the bearing... Other crew: But I think the tall hills are still ahead. We are about to cross border and this is Kidepo Valley I thought Kidepo Valley was on the other side Nyakairu: We use scale so that we But we are over the hills... Ground speed is 120 Other crew: We are approaching mountain Airhostess Lillian Kabaije comes, calling the pilots: Hello, hello! Nyakairu: Lillian, what do you want to say? Hello, can you hear me? Lillian: He [Garang] wants to talk to you Where are we now? Nyakairu: We are remaining with 20 miles. We are about to land at New Site... Give him the headset We are left with 15 miles. [Garang?]: There is very high ground. How many miles? How high are we? The black voice recording ends at that point – as the helicopter crashes into the mountainside at 5,500ft (300metres) above sea level. Remaining distance to destination at New Site was apparently just about 8 miles. Why did all this happen the way it did; human error or machine failure? The investigators will probably be nearer the answers after they return from the crash site later this week. Sources who have watched recordings of the crash site tell of charred wreckage and debris scattered over a wide area on the mountainside and in the valleys below. The aircraft hit the mountain, exploded and ploughed down the forested mountainside. It burnt and uprooted the entire hillside of trees, similar to a grader clearing ground for a new road or construction. The tyres flew off on impact and are the only parts that were not burnt. The normally red-coated black boxes survived the impact, but turned black on the surface because of the heat. Such was the sad end of Lt. Gen. John Garang, six other Sudanese and seven Ugandans: Col. Peter Nyakairu (the President’s chief pilot); co-pilot Capt. Paul Kiyimba; flight engineer Maj. Patrick Kiggundu; the Chief of Protocol at State House, Samuel Bakowa; the jet officer, Lt. John Munanura, Ms Lillian Kabaije, an air hostess for the President and Cpl. Hassan Kiiza, a Presidential Guard Brigade signaller. [EMAIL PROTECTED]

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