Just received this gen, I was also away and only heard recently. (email has been edited for anonymity)
The accident was on the morning of 12 March, I think it was at about 1030local. PA24-180 Z-YPU, on take-off from CP to Botswana where they were going to do some clinics. Pilot was urologist xxxx, pax yyyy, bone specialist and an african technician, zzzz. It is thought that the aircraft was overloaded and it was very hot. There were three people on board and 5 hours endurance .The wing stalled and the wingtip hit the ground and the aircraft cartwheeled and caught fire. The aircraft came to rest at the end of the runway near Aerotech. An engineer rushed out with fire extinguisher and put out the flames and dragged the people out. yyyy was alive but died soon afterwards, xxxx was already dead when he was taken from the aircraft and the technician, zzzz, who was in the back was critically injured, since heard he didn't make it?
The controller wasn't in the tower when the accident happened and the firecrew didn't see it either! Someone from MFC rushed to tell them that the aircraft had crashed and was burning! There hasn't been a fire engine at CP for some years and when they finally got the truck that they do have going, the fire extinguishers didn't work. To add to all this, there had been no landlines/phones in the Mt Hampden are for some weeks due to the MCB being stolen, cell phones also don't work well in Zim, so it was a major problem trying to get ambulances. The CAAZ ambulance has no equipment in it and is used mostly for staff transport!
Very very sad news. I didn't want to publish the names of those involved.
RIP
