Baker Kiyonga, an eyewitness, said that he saw the chopper about 11.00 am heading towards the hill in a zig-zag motion during a heavy downpour before he heard a very loud bang shortly after. The crash was so severe to the extent that it was hard to tell from the strewn pieces that the crash was of a chopper. Even the bodies of the crew members were also crashed beyond recognition.
Major Karungi had over 14 years of piloting helicopters under her belt and was regarded as one of Uganda’s finest pilots. Karungi, a graduate of Social Works later joined Soroti Flying School to train in controlling aircraft in motion. She has been flying army helicopters since 2005 for troop transportation and rescue missions.Â
Major Edward Birungi, the Air Defense spokesperson who dashed to Ndeese village to secure the remains of the deceased told reporters that the officers were heading to Kabamba for a joint training exercise for air defense forces. Birungi said the army will release a statement later about the possible cause of the crash.Â
According to helis.com, Uganda has at least three 206B-3 jet ranger helicopters but reveals no details about the date of manufacture.Â