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

03/06/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/06/2026 02:09

Accident to the Airbus AS350 registered 5Y-DSB operated by Youth Aviation on 28/02/2026 at Tabolwa (Kenya)

Accident to the Airbus AS350 registered 5Y-DSB operated by Youth Aviation on 28/02/2026 at Tabolwa (Kenya)

Collision with ground, post-impact fire

Responsible entity

Kenya - AAID

Preliminary data based on the notification from the Kenyan authorities:

It departed Endebess for Wilson airport in Nairobi County and landed in an open field at Tabolwa in Nandi County at 3:43 PM with six on board including the Member of Parliament for Emurua Dikirr constituency and landed there at 4:20 PM. It was reported by local eye witnesses that the stop was necessitated by poor visibility, heavy rainfall and heavy fog in the area.
The helicopter departed Tabolwa at 4:25 PM with six on board and confirmed to have crashed a minute later at Tabolwa.

Loading map...
General information
Local date 28/02/2026
Responsible entity Kenya - AAID
State or area of occurrence Kenya
Location Tabolwa
Human consequences Fatal
Number of death 6
Aircraft consequences Destroyed
Occurrence class Accident
File number BEA2026-0077
Flight Information
Aircraft category Helicopter - Small helicopter
Operator Kenya - Private Operator (Youth Aviation Limited)
Manufacturer / Model AEROSPATIALE - AS350
Aircraft Registration 5Y-DSB
State of registry Kenya
Last departure point Kenya - Other (Endebess)
Planned destination Kenya - HKNW (WIL) : Nairobi/Wilson
Flight phase Unknown
Serial number 7183
Operator Type AG Unknown
Operation Type Commercial Air Transport - Passenger

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 March 06, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on March 06, 2026 at 08:09 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 If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]