Seronera Airstrip

Flying in the Serengeti could be said to have begun with Martin and Osa Johnson, who took their Sikorsky amphibian planes up from Cape Town in 1933 and covered 60,000 miles of Africa. .... They landed at Seronera and spent two weeks photographing lions.

Visitors to the Serengeti were few until East African Airways began their excursion flights in late 1957. During the dry season two Dakotas from Nairobi would fly to Seronera every Sunday with about 40 people on board. They would be met and driven around the Serengeti for a day in the Serengeti's entire fleet of vehicles: two Land-Rovers and a 5-ton truck.

One aircraft, a DC3, collided with one of these [secretary birds] birds at Seronera aerodrome and landed with a shattered windshield and badly buckled cabin roof.

On a lighter note, Hugh Lamprey was motoring near Seronera airfield one evening when he suddenly saw a strange green shape in the grass. A solitary hyena was circling it with interest at about forty yards range. Hugh drove over to investigate, and was astonished to find Sandy Field, the Chief Park Warden, lying curled up in the grass, clutching a large club and making gurgling noises. On hearing the car, Sandy hastily got to his feet and explained with some embarrassment that he had been carrying out an experiment. He had decided to lie down in the grass and moan like a man suffering a heart attack to see how close the hyena would approach. The strange shape seen by Hugh had been Sandy’s trousers in the grass. Sandy’s experiment was ruined, and he, Hugh and the hyena went their separate ways.

On 12th May 1968, Hugh Lamprey, Director of the Serengeti Research Institute, was taking off in his glider from Seronera airfield when he saw a leopard come charging out of the long grass after the two cable which was rushing along the ground, towed by an ancient Humber car, some 700 feet ahead of the glider. From the cockpit, Hugh watched the leopard put both paws around the cable and then hang on like grim death as it was dragged along the ground. Hugh wondered whether to abort the take-off, but lifted off anyhow. The leopard, by this time astride the cable, was lifted ten feet into the air before falling back and bounding into cover.

An aircraft chartered by Abercrombie & Kent Tanzania from Northern Air is missing. The aircraft carrying ten American tourists on an Abercrombie & Kent Livingstone Safari took off from Seronera Airstrip in the Serengeti at around 10:20 am (Tanzania time) 3:20 am (EDT) on Wednesday, September 1, and has not been heard from since. An extensive search is under way. *

We have been informed that the aircraft was a twin-engine Cessna 404. It was being flown by Chris Pereira, Chief Pilot of Northern Air. The clients on this aircraft were part of the Abercrombie & Kent Livingstone Safari, which departed August 22nd from the United States.

Additional, information will be posted to the website as it becomes available.

For further information, contact: The Africa Desk of the U.S. State Department in Washington, or Gillian Larkin, Sr. VP, at the Abercrombie & Kent Offices in Oak Brook, Illinois, on 1-800-323-7308 or 1-630-954-2944. Or visit our website a www.abercrombiekent.com.

* Update at 2:00 pm - Oak Brook, Illinois Time

An aircraft, which is believed to be the aircraft in question, has been seen on Mt. Meru and the search-and-rescue efforts are now all focused on reaching this aircraft.

** Update at 4:00 pm - Oak Brook, Illinois Time

The search-and-rescue team have located the crash site. As best as they are able, given the fact it is difficult terrain and dark, they have not been able to locate any survivors at this time. This search party will camp at the site, waiting for day break. With daybreak a helicopter will return to the site, hoping to land near the crash site in order to thoroughly search the area and confirm whether there are (or are not) any survivors. A Flying Doctor and Nurse are among the search-and-rescue team to enable giving any survivors immediate medical attention.

*** Update on September 2nd at 10:30 am - Oak Brook, Illinois Time

The aircraft and the bodies of ten passengers, together with the pilot and the A&K Professional Guide have been found. There are no survivors. The bodies will be moved, first to Arusha, and then to Nairobi, where they will be prepared for repatriation. This will be handled by the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi. The State Department has informed all next of kin and will only release the names of the deceased when they are ready to do so.

The twin-engine Cessna 404 was owned by Northern Air, which has seven aircraft. The Cessna 404 was licensed to carry up to 14 passengers and was being flown by Northern Air's Chief Pilot, Chris Pereira. Mr. Pereira had over twenty years and 16,000 flying hours of experience. The aircraft left the Serengeti shortly after 10:00 am Tanzania time and crashed into the side of Mt. Meru at about 9,000 feet above sea level. The weather was overcast, which is fairly typical around Mt. Meru at this time of the year and there was nothing unusual about the weather.

The Professional Guide leading the group, William Meiliani, was also killed. The remaining 7 clients on this Livingstone Safari Group went on to Nairobi and the Masai Mara, continuing their safari.

We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident.