East African Airways Flight 104
Douglas DC-3 · Controlled flight into terrain
From Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR) to Nairobi Wilson Airport (WIL)
Event
- Event typeAccident: someone killed or seriously injured, or the aircraft substantially damaged (NTSB definition). Incident: an occurrence that affected or could have affected safety, short of that. Glossary
- Accident
- Event fatalities
- 20 · all aircraft and ground
- Ground fatalities
- Unknown
- Occupants
- 20
- Survivors
- 0
- InjuriesFatal: death within 30 days. Serious: over 48 hours in hospital within a week, most broken bones, severe bleeding, nerve or organ damage, or serious burns. Minor: anything less. Glossary
- 0
- OperationWhat kind of flying it was, grouped by the rules it flew under: airline (US Part 121), air taxi and commuter (Part 135), general aviation (Part 91 and similar), military or government. Glossary
- Airline
Douglas DC-3
- Aircraft type
- Douglas DC-3
- Category
- Airplane · from aircraft type
- RegistrationThe aircraft's tail number, such as N12345 or G-ABCD. Registrations are reissued, so the same one years apart can be a different aircraft. Glossary
- VP-KKH
- Operator
- East African Airways
- Onboard fatalities
- 20
- Route
- From Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR)To Nairobi Wilson Airport (WIL)
Cause areas
- Personnel issues › Action/decision
From the investigation findings the Wikipedia article reports, sorted into the NTSB's cause areas with AI assistance.
Not plotted · Not plotted: the Wikipedia article gives no coordinates, and its site names no town or airport that matches exactly.
From the Wikipedia article
East African Airways Flight 104 nicknamed Titanic on Mount Kilamajaro was a scheduled passenger flight operated by East African Airways using a Douglas DC-3 aircraft, registered as VP-KKH. On 18 May 1955, the aircraft crashed on Mount Kilimanjaro during its flight from Dar es Salaam to Nairobi, killing all 20 people on board. The wreckage was discovered four days later on the southeast slope of the Mawenzi peak of Kilimanjaro.
Flight and crash
The aircraft departed Dar es Salaam at 10:39 local time on 18 May 1955, bound for Wilson Airport in Nairobi. The last radio transmission from the pilot was received at 11:56, reporting the aircraft's position over Lake Jipe while flying visually above the clouds at flight level 105 (approximately 10,500 feet). No further communication was received.
The wreckage was discovered on 22 May 1955 on the southeastern slope of Mawenzi, the more rugged and less accessible of Kilimanjaro's two main peaks, at an elevation of 15,200 feet above sea level. All on board were confirmed dead.
Investigation and cause
Investigation
Investigators reached the crash site on 25 May 1955. The aircraft had struck the ridge of Mawenzi at 15,200 feet and exploded on impact. The fire appeared concentrated around the central fuel tanks. The aircraft's nose hit first, after which it flipped and fell into a ravine.
An official investigation determined that the pilot had made the decision to proceed on a direct route to Nairobi without consulting meteorological forecasters, despite marginal weather conditions. The investigation suggested that, had he received weather advice, he might have diverted via Tanga. The pilot was relatively new to the airline and may have felt obligated to follow the standard route.
Text from the Wikipedia article “East African Airways Flight 104” (revision 1369059677, retrieved 2026-09-18) by its authors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Extracted as plain text: references, tables, images and some sections are left out. Read the article
Sources
Wikipedia article: East African Airways Flight 104
- Revision
- 1369059677 · 2026-08-12 · retrieved 2026-09-18
- Wikidata
- Q136032013
- Licence
- Text CC BY-SA 4.0, by the article's authors; Wikidata CC0; town positions GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
Where each value comes from
- Record
- Wikipedia article "East African Airways Flight 104" (page 80717158, revision 1369059677)
- Date
- Wikipedia infobox: date
- Place and country
- Wikipedia infobox: site
- Map position
- none
- Aircraft, operator and route
- Wikipedia infobox: aircraft type, registration, operator, origin and destination; route airports from the linked airport articles' Wikidata codes (OurAirports)
- Operation
- flight number in the article title
- Fatalities
- Wikipedia infobox: aircraft fatalities
- Ground fatalities
- not stated in the Wikipedia infobox
- Summary
- Wikipedia infobox: summary
Source notes (1)
- Wikipedia · Facts from the Wikipedia article's infobox and coordinates, not checked against an investigation report. Independent review pending.