GA Accidents in South Africa

Read the forum code of contact

http://www.news24.com/Content/SouthAfrica/News/1059/41b58f1dece84d919196f389e0e5f6ac/13-12-2009-10-38/2_killed_in_plane_crash

This is in the flying training area (GFA) just to the southwest of Johannesburg. The aircraft was an Extra 300 which was used for team displays in airshows.

Original post

Member for

18 years 11 months

Posts: 8,847

However, the SABC has reported that the plane crashed after failing to pull out of a dive. It collided with the ground, propeller-first

You would seem to have as competent newspaper reporters as there are in the U.K.

Yes indeed, they usually print hearsay without consulting an expert in the industry first. And as a matter of interest, another plane (Cherokee) departing the same airport (FAGM) later this morning went farming off the end of the runway. There is a good photo in this link: http://www.flyafrica.info/forums/showthread.php?t=24423

From another forum :

"I would also like to highlight the outstanding performance by the fire and rescue personnel at Wonderboom. These guys have had a tough time for a few years and until recently weren't even assured of their jobs at the airport. They are regularly used as the gofers at the airport and at times have to bear the brunt of the tenants when they are used as messengers for the airport authority.

According to those in the know the crash alarm was activated milliseconds after the mayday call on the frequency and a helicopter (busy with hover training) immediately volunteered to go to the crash site whilst already transitioning in the direction of the stricken plane (kudos to the pilot also).

The fire and rescue services have aviation radios in their vehicles but communicate on their own Kenwood system with each other and with ATC so as to keep the chatter on the aviation frequencies to a minimum.

Apparently as the helicopter reached the site the shift boss in the rapid response vehicle was heard on the kenwood that he had the plane in sight and was already directing the other fire tender vehicles close on his heels towards the site. This is an amazing feat as the site is roughly 2-3km's from the airport and on a friday afternoon the roads around the airport are fairly congested.

Although this time they did not manage to rescue the pilots due to the severe impact I salute these personnel and ask that next time when you are at the airport take a few minutes and give these blokes a friendly wave or a thank you. They are true professionals and deserve some respect."

http://www.flyafrica.info/forums/showthread.php?p=182463#post182463

A light plane exploding in the air?:confused:

http://www.timeslive.co.za/news/article237864.ece

It is amazing what gibberish the press come up with in South Africa.:)

This is what I wrote to the local radio station recently :

Hi, your newsreader (I think it was Ian Crewe), just said , "...six car pile-up on the N2... involved two trucks and five other cars." The equation does not balance.
Best regards
Ralph Wigzell

South Africa - Another smalll plane down - 4 dead

Plane crash victims from 1 family

This is now the third fatal crash in the space of a month in South Africa. No speculation intended :- the facts about this area which I know well are that there is a lot of high ground and at this time of year there are treacherous thunderstorms, low cloud (since they say that the plane (Bonanza) crashed into a mountain in thick mist). There have been numerous accidents of this kind here.

"The pilot called in just as he was approaching Harrismith and said he was going to land at Harrismith because of a possible technical problem. He did not elaborate on what the problem was. He was calm and gave no indication that he was in serious danger."

Harrismith airfield elevation is 5585'. The "Platberg" is about 2 miles to the southeast and is 7858' high. The minimum IFR altitude on the chart is given as FL090.

Attachments

Member for

14 years 5 months

Posts: 8

Another small plane down in S A 2 dead

A lot of guys I know looking for used planes also put a ceiling on TTAF for the year the plane was manufactured.

EDIT: They also tend to put a ceiling on the time on the engines.

Plane crashes on Durban beach

Quote "A couple were flying with their two children when the plane's propeller apparently broke off.

The plane crash-landed on the shore at Warner beach south of Durban, narrowly missing about 70 to 100 beach-goers."

Accident Feb 3 near Johannesburg

Latest accident
Cessna 206 flew into mountain ridge in fog, was on flight between two airfields. The mountain range (tops only around 7000') runs parallel to the VFR corridor connecting the two airfields. The valley floor is approx 4500' elevation. The Johannesburg TMA starts at 7500' so VFR flights have to remain below this altitude.
2 fatalities

Pilots flew just too low
2010-02-04 07:15

Hilda Fourie

Pretoria - Heavy fog and poor visibility probably caused the accident on Tuesday in which two experienced pilots flew into the top ridge of the Magaliesberg mountains and died.

The burnt bodies of Arnie Lowes, a director of Marshall Fowler in Randfontein and owner of a guesthouse in Umhlanga and Piet Kriel, a flight instructor from Krugersdorp, were lying on top of one another in the burnt-out cabin of the Cessna 206 when rescue workers reached the scene.

A few metres from where their plane hit the mountain lay the wreck of another plane that flew into the mountain about 20 years ago.

Lowes and Kriel had left the Jack Taylor airfield near Krugersdorp at about 06:00 to fly to Wonderboom airport north of Pretoria where the plane was to be serviced.

Heavy fog covered the Magaliesberg. The pilots probably became confused in the clouds and flew into the side of the mountain, only a few metres from the top.

From the bottom of the mountain it was possible to only see the tail-end of the plane.

Loud noise

Dawid Laas, who lives at the foot of the Magaliesberg in Kameeldrift West, west of Pretoria, said on Tuesday he heard a loud noise at about 06:25 followed by an explosion.

"I fly too and when I heard the impact I just knew: the mountain had caught him," said Laas.

He phoned his son Bennie, 16, who was heading to the Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Afrikaans High School for Boys).

Bennie made his mother turn around and go home "because I know the mountain like the back of my hand", he said.

Bennie, his sister Karlien, 19, and her boyfriend, André Pienaar, 21, ran up the mountain. Karlien, who is also a pilot, found a wheel and a piece of wreckage on the way up. Shortly afterwards, Bennie found the wreckage of the plane.

Bennie said he could see only flames once he saw the wreck.

He contacted his father and informed him of the plane's registration number and in the log book, which lay outside the plane, looked where the plane was coming from.

'No chance with this mountain'

"There was not much left (of the plane)," said Karlien.

"On the way up I still hoped they might be alive and that we could help them, but there was no-one who could be helped."

"You don't really stand a chance with this mountain."

The police air wing was called in to take up and bring back members of the Tshwane emergency services, officers from the Hercules police station and members of the search and rescue unit of the task force.

Lowes left his wife, Danita, and three children. It was not known by late on Wednesday night who Kriel's next of kin were.

An inquest will be held.

- Beeld

Member for

19 years

Posts: 2,106

Sad News:( Any news of the names of those killed in the Extra??? or the reg of the A/C. Only asking as it may be someone i met whilst at the Al Ain Airshow a couple of years back:(

Sad News:( Any news of the names of those killed in the Extra??? or the reg of the A/C. Only asking as it may be someone i met whilst at the Al Ain Airshow a couple of years back:(

Here is the information...

It was unfortunately ZU-EXT, the Northwest Province sponsored Extra 300 owned by Nigel Hopkins, Larry Beamish, Paul Geng and Robbie Nutt, out of RAND Airport, sad day indeed, can confirm, Paul and Robbie were on board.
:(

Member for

19 years

Posts: 2,106

Sadly that has confirmed my fears:(:(