News24 (SA)
Witness tells of chopper crash
Schalk Mouton, Beeld
Johannesburg - An Eskom employee died on Wednesday after a helicopter, from which photographs would have been taken for the power company, crashed onto two vehicles on the East Rand.
The helicopter, a Squirrel belonging to Henley Air, which is stationed at Rand Airport, was rented with the purpose of taking a series of photographs for Eskom.
The helicopter experienced problems at about 11:30, shortly after taking off from Eskom's Simmerpan complex in Germiston.
According to Johan van den Heever, spokesperson for Ekurhuleni emergency services, the helicopter battled to gain power and the pilot was looking for an open space where he could do an emergency landing. "The helicopter's main rotor hit a building and crashed onto a City Golf and a Toyota bakkie."
The driver of the City Golf died on the scene.
According to Van den Heever the co-pilot was admitted to Union Hospital in Alberton in serious condition, while the pilot and the driver of the Toyota bakkie escaped with minor injuries.
An eyewitness, who wanted to remain anonymous, said the helicopter's landing gear got entangled with the bakkie's cabin after the rotor had hit the building. The helicopter tilted forward and crashed onto the vehicles.
Van den Heever said the helicopter didn't burst into flames, but the emergency services suppressed the petrol fumes on the ground in order to prevent the fuel from catching fire.
Eskom's spokesperson, Sipho Neke, said in a short media release that Eskom was in contact with the deceased's family. He worked in the company's IT department. Neither the spokesperson, nor the police wanted to reveal any information about the deceased. Police spokesperson captain Steady Nawa said the police were investigating a charge of manslaughter. The Civil Aviation Association was also investigating the accident. André Coetzee, a spokesperson for Henley Air, didn't want to comment.
