msafiri In August 2008, Kenya Airways pilots played a crucial role in the dramatic rescue of a stricken Turkish Airlines passenger plane 16 O n August 14th, 2008, Turkish Airlines flight TK1123 was travelling from Istanbul to Lagos with 196 passengers on board. At around 10pm, while on approach to Lagos airport, TK1123 suddenly lost all navigation instruments and radio communications, disappearing from airport radar screens. In effect, TK1123 was now flying blind over West Africa in the darkness, with barely half an hour's fuel left. Although no transmissions from TK1123 could be heard on the emergency frequency, the crew did have sporadic radio contact with Accra's Air Traffic Control and several other nearby flights. One of these was Kenya Airways flight KQ513, piloted by Captain Salim M. Verjee and First Officer John Mwaura, who had tuned in to Accra's frequency en route to Nairobi. Shortly after joining the Accra frequency, Verjee overheard an exchange between TK1123 and an EgyptAir flight asking if TK1123 could see the landing lights of the Egyptian plane. As Verjee explained: " It dawned on me that the Turkish plane was unsure of his position, as he had lost some critical navigation equipment and had just done a go- around in Lagos." Realizing that something was amiss, Verjee asked the other ten or fifteen flights on the same frequency to keep quiet in order to assist TK1123. TK1123, meanwhile, descended to 2000 feet and began to look for an airport or town, reporting to KQ513 that they had fuel left for about thirty minutes. Verjee asked Accra airport to fire some flares to help TK1123 locate them. The flares were not seen by the pilots of TK1123, however, who now told KQ513 that they could see ships and water all around them. Verjee and Mwaura guessed that TK1123 must have flown south of the coast and suggested that they should turn north until they saw the lights of the coast. TK1123 responded and headed north. Meawhile, time was running out, with only KQ PILOTS THE PRIDE OF AFRICA IN THIS ISSUE NOV- JAN 2008- 09 habariinspiration 20 ten minutes of fuel remaining, Verjee radioed TK1123 and suggested that they should prepare for ditching before they ran out of fuel, given that a controlled ditch is preferable to one executed after running out of fuel. Then, suddenly TK1123 annouced: " I see lights!" A few seconds later, says Verjee, TK1123 " blurted out that they'd seen a runway." Accra asked KQ to tell TK1123 that they were cleared to land on either of the airport's runways. What none of the pilots or air traffic controllers realized, however, was that TK1123 was nowhere near Accra, but was instead circling the airport at Lome, in Togo, around 90 nautical miles east of Accra. As TK1123 descended and maneouvered low over Lome in order not to lose sight of the runway again, the tower controllers realized the plane was in trouble. Shortly afterwards, TK1123 landed safely, even though the crew still didn't know where they had actually touched down. " 1123, have you landed?" asked Verjee, two minutes after the Turkish flight was due to have run out of fuel. " Yes!" came the jubilant answer. " You have no idea how we felt at that instant," said Verjee. " It was a very special feeling, one that will remain with us forever." The Aviation Herald who reported on this incident cited the Kenya airways crew as instrumental in saving the Turkish Airlines flight. The pilots later received many compliments, including this from Ibrahim H Caglayan of Ankara, Turkey: " A most heartfelt ' thank you' to the great nation of Kenya and Kenya Airways! Your commander and his co- pilot saved 196 lives on board our Turkish Airlines flight to Lagos. I congratulate and thank you all for this heroic deed. First vacation I can take will be to Kenya, to have the opportunity to meet Kenyans and their famed country. And how will I get there? Surely on board a Kenya Airways flight! That airline's planes are driven by intelligent and skilled pilots!" 20 TOUCHDOWN 10 things you should know about London 22 WISHLIST Where will KQ take you next? 24 PORTFOLIO msafiri takes a look at Africa from the air in a new book 26 INTERVIEW Organic queen Lillian Kanari 28 BEST BUYS Five things made in Kenya 30 A LIFE IN AFRICA Henry Kamau Muhia, Kenyan flower seller 32 STREETWISE The lowdown on Dar 34 WHAT'S ON Events in KQ destinations 36 REVIEW Pick of the latest book and CD releases 40 FOOD AND DRINK Jahazi Coffe House, Mombasa 42 SPORTING HEROES Robert Hunter 45 NEWS Captain Salim M Verjee