BEA - Office of Investigations and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety of the French Republic

01/02/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/02/2026 04:18

Accident to the Airbus AS350 registered 5H-KMA operated by Kili Medair Aviation on 24/12/2025 on Mount Kilimanjaro (Tanzania)

Accident to the Airbus AS350 registered 5H-KMA operated by Kili Medair Aviation on 24/12/2025 on Mount Kilimanjaro (Tanzania)

Loss of control during initial climb, collision with ground, fire

Responsible entity

United Republic of Tanzania - AAIU

Preliminary data based on the notification from the Tanzanian authorities:

The helicopter had just taken off and was climbing when it was seen go into a descent loop before impacting the ground. A severe fire ensued, and the helicopter was destroyed.

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General information
Local date 24/12/2025
Responsible entity United Republic of Tanzania - AAIU
State or area of occurrence Tanzania
Location Barafu camp, Mount Kilimanjaro
Human consequences Fatal
Number of death 5
Aircraft consequences Destroyed
Occurrence class Accident
File number BEA2025-0540
Flight Information
Aircraft category Helicopter - Small helicopter
Operator Tanzania - Other (Kili Medair Aviation)
Manufacturer / Model AEROSPATIALE - AS350
Aircraft Registration 5H-KMA
State of registry Tanzania
Last departure point Tanzania - Other (Barafu Camp, Mt Kilimanjaro)
Planned destination Tanzania - HTMS : Moshi
Flight phase Take-off
Serial number 7946
Operator Type AG Unknown
Operation Type Commercial Air Transport - Passenger - Air Ambulance

BEA is the French air safety investigation authority for civil aviation. The sole objective of the investigation is to improve air safety. It is intended neither to apportion blame nor to assess responsiblity.

BEA - Office of Investigations and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety of the French Republic published this content on January 02, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on January 02, 2026 at 10:18 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]