The whereabouts of a Tanzanian pilot who went missing as he flew on a mission to Selous Game Reserve remains unknown.

Mr Samwel Gibuyi of the conservation organization Pams Foundation went missing on October 18, 2021, when flying his plane from Matemanga Village in Ruvuma to Selous Game Reserve in search of black rhinos, failed to arrive as expected and the plane went missing from the control radars.

Search and rescue efforts were launched immediately with no success, the organization said.

The 31-year old pilot was flying solo to join his workmate in the Selous and conduct an aerial surveillance, but his plane failed to arrive at its destination.

Pams project manager Max Jenes told The Citizen yesterday that the captain of aircraft – named ‘Bathawk Flight Number 5H-WXO – started his normal work mission at around noon, and was expected to arrive at 5pm – which did not happen.

According to the manager, they became suspicious at 5:30pm that something had gone wrong because he did not notify them that he had reached the destination safely.

“We, therefore, contacted his colleagues who were to meet him upon his arrival in the Selous. However, they confirmed that he had not arrived,” he said.

Explaining, Mr Jenes said since the pilot’s disappearance, they have tried to trace the aircraft using a special tool, ‘Spidertracks,’ to help locate him. But the tracking has not been successful either.