Why ATCL`s Boeing crashed

From The Guardian on Sunday, Dar es Salaam
By Staff writer

The pilot of the Air Tanzania Boeing 737-200 that crash-landed at Mwanza airport earlier this month was forced to stage the non-fatal emergency landing amid heavy rainfall and thick layers of fog, The Guardian on Sunday has learnt.

The plane, which was carrying 45 passengers from Dar es Salaam, was heading to its final destination in Mwanza on the morning of March 2, when Captain Mwakang’ata first reported trouble to ground control.

According to communication records between the Mwanza control tower and the pilot, after being briefed about the weather conditions at the airport, Mwankang'ata said visibility was near zero and he couldn’t land safely despite being given a nod by air traffic controllers.

Mwakang’ata instead requested to land at Kilimanjaro Airport, the closest airport to Mwanza, pending an improvement in the weather in Mwanza city.

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