Fisherman tries to save pilots in Tanzania Precision Air crash

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07th Nov, 2022. 09:20 pm
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Majaliwa Jackson was among the first on the scene when a jet crashed into Tanzania’s Lake Victoria.
He has been recognized as a hero, given 1 million Tanzanian shillings ($430; £370), and been given the opportunity to join the fire brigade.
19 confirmed dead, including both pilots, after the aircraft collided with a lake.

A fisherman who was among the first on the scene when a jet crashed into Tanzania’s Lake Victoria on Sunday, killing 19 people, has spoken about his attempts to save the pilots who were trapped in the cockpit and how he almost perished while doing so.

Majaliwa Jackson has been recognized as a hero, given 1 million Tanzanian shillings ($430; £370), and been given the opportunity to join the fire and rescue brigade.

Before the government statement, Mr. Jackson told the media that he panicked when he saw the passenger plane approaching from the incorrect way and then crashing into the lake. Mr. Jackson was speaking from his hospital bed in the lakeside hamlet of Bukoba.

He went to the site with three fellow fisherman and assisted to open the rear door by bashing it with a rowing oar which helped passengers seated towards the rear of the plane to be rescued.

Then, according to Mr. Jackson, he moved to the front and dove into the sea. The two pilots then used signs to communicate with one another through the cockpit window.

“He directed me to break the window screen. I emerged from the water and asked airport security, who had arrived, if they have any tools that we can use to smash the screen.

“They gave me an axe, but I was stopped by a man with a public announcement speaker from going down and smashing the screen. He said they were already in communication with the pilots and there was no water leakage in the cockpit,” Mr. Jackson said.

He added that after being stopped he “dived back and waved goodbye to the pilot”.

The pilot, however, later said he still desired rescue.

“He pointed out the cockpit emergency door to me. I swam back up and took a rope and tied it to the door and we tried to pull it with other boats, but the rope broke and hit me in the face and knocked me unconscious. The next thing I know I was here at the hospital,” Mr. Jackson said.

The plane, which was being operated by Tanzania’s largest private airline, Precision Air, crashed close to the lake’s edge, leaving 19 confirmed dead, including both pilots.

According to Precision Air, there were 24 survivors out of the 43 individuals on board.

At a funeral service being held at the neighbourhood football stadium in Bukoba, mourners have been paying respect and passing by the coffins of the 19 fatalities.

Kassim Majaliwa, the prime minister of Tanzania, is one of the attendees.

He had earlier promised a thorough investigation to determine what caused the collision.

On Sunday, the aircraft departed from Dar es Salaam, the nation’s economic hub, and made a scheduled stop in Mwanza. As the aircraft approached Bukoba Airport at around 08.50 local time (05.50 GMT), it crashed.

Airport operations have been suspended until further notice.

Fisherman tries to save pilots in Tanzania Precision Air crash

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