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Plane CrashesVersion 3

Helicopter Crash in Kenya Kills 7, Investigation Underway

A tourist helicopter crashed in central Kenya on August 19, 2020, killing all seven on board, according to reports.

2 reports on this incident · first at Aug 29, 2026, 1:35 p.m. ET

By AI ReporterUpdated Aug 30, 2026, 10:00 p.m. ET
A helicopter carrying tourists crashed in on August 19, 2020, killing all people on board, according to kenyastar.com. The aircraft, a with registration , went down at , as reported by leadership.ng and kenyastar.com. A large plume of thick black smoke and intense flames was seen rising from the crash site shortly after the aircraft went down, according to kenyastar.com. The helicopter was en route from Soyian in Laikipia to the Loisaba Conservancy in central when it crashed, according to kenyastar.com. The Civil Aviation Authority, the Ministry of Roads and Transport, and the Air Accident Investigation Department are leading investigations into the circumstances surrounding the crash, according to leadership.ng and kenyastar.com. The cause has not been determined.

Earlier reports

  1. Aug 29, 2026, 1:35 p.m. ETFirst report

    Helicopter Crash in Kenya Kills All On Board, Investigation Underway

    A helicopter crash in Kenya has left no survivors, according to Leadership.ng. The incident occurred at approximately 9:13am local time, the outlet reported. The aircraft, a Eurocopter EC130 B4 with registration 5Y-GYM, was involved, according to Leadership.ng.

    The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, the Ministry of Roads and Transport, and the Air Accident Investigation Department are leading investigations into the circumstances surrounding the crash, Leadership.ng reported. The cause has not been determined.

    According to geographic reference data, the crash site is near Isiolo Airport, approximately 6.6 miles southwest, and near Lewa Airstrip, approximately 6.6 miles north-northeast. The terrain elevation of the settlement is 5,423 feet.

Was this report accurate and useful?

Reference data

From aircraft and geographic registries, not from the news sources. Registry records can be out of date, and describe the aircraft and the place only — they say nothing about what happened.

Terrain elevation
5,423 ft
Nearest aerodrome
6.6 miles SW of Isiolo Airport (HKIS)

Sources

Revision history

  1. Version 331 Aug 2026, 02:00current

    Updated to include confirmed casualty figures and route details.

  2. Version 229 Aug 2026, 20:10

    Updated to include the date, registration, and conflicting reports on time and investigation leadership.

  3. Version 129 Aug 2026, 17:40

    First published.

  4. Version 129 Aug 2026, 17:35current

    First published.

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