It took swift action by first responders to prevent the crashed Silverstone Air plane from bursting into flames on Friday morning.
The Fokker 50 5y-IZO plane skid off the runaway just before takeoff, crashing into a near-by bush.
A video of the accident scene shows emergency officers spraying every inch of the plane, which had 55 people on board, with foam.
This was necessary to prevent jet fuel ignition from sparks that might have arisen from friction between the plane and the ground when it crashed.
If we would have an emergency Response like at Wilson Airport after Silverstone Aircraft missed to take off. The daughter and a Mother deep in the Indian Ocean at Likoni would have been Rescued Safe.
Silverstone bird down at Wilson Airport.pic.twitter.com/kDoEaXh7a4— Kawangware Finest™️ No Human is Limited (@cbs_ke) October 11, 2019
It was also helpful in coating other flammable parts of the plane such as the engine.
Jet fuel is highly flammable when exposed to air, which is why most planes that crash and leak fuel explode shortly after.
As a firefighting agent, foam acts to prevent or suppress fire by coating fuel to prevent contact with Oxygen which, as described above, leads to ignition.
Aqueous film forming foams are widely used to control plane fires by preventing mixture of jet fuel and Oxygen.
Two passengers suffered minor injuries in the Silverstone Air crash this morning.
The plane was headed to Lamu from Wilson Airport in Nairobi.
No casualty was reported.
President Uhuru Kenyatta recognized the swift response to the Friday morning crash, wishing quick recovery to the two passengers who were injured.
“His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta commends emergency rescue teams stationed at Wilson Airport in Nairobi for their swift response following an accident involving a Silverstone Air operated Fokker 50 aircraft,” said State House Spokesperson Kanze Dena in a statement.
“Civil aviation authorities are investigating the incident with a view of not only establishing the cause of the mishap but also putting in place measures to avoid similar incidents in future,” she added.