Prang at Livingstone; six reported dead
 

Sad news:

6 Dead in Zambian plane crash
 

:sad:

Quote:

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Six people, including a pilot, were killed in a plane crash near Livingstone airport on Thursday afternoon, the director of Civil Aviation in Zambia told Sapa on Thursday.

"The wreckage was located. All people on board have perished... There were five passengers and one pilot," the director, Chilu Kabalika, told Sapa.

"I have been advised that the people are not South Africans. We could not establish the passengers' names yet, but I was told they came from Malawi and have British names, although I am not sure of their nationality."

Earlier, Kabalika said: "Our air traffic control received information that a chartered plane was experiencing engine problems." - Sapa

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:sad:

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_i...4745061964B214

this is sad news. I heard on BBC africa it was a south african aircraft ?

rip all - my condolences to the families

Apparently the plane that crashed yesterday at around 4 PM (flight Livingstone - Mfuwe) was leased from Travel Africa by Airwaves Airlink. The pilot was Canadian.

http://www.times.co.zm/news/viewnews...&id=1094783110

What a shame. Does anyone know what the aircraft type was?

Condolences to the family and friends of the pilot and passengers.

Three of the passengers were Australians and two were Britons.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...55E401,00.html

Once again. And the aircraft was a ..................(fill in the blank)

In this news report, it says it was a C210.

Australian family dies flying over falls
By Holly Nott and Tim Clarke
September 10, 2004

A THREE-week African holiday ended in tragedy when a joy flight over Zambia's spectacular Victoria Falls resulted in the deaths of three members of a Perth family and two of their friends.

A spokesman for the family today confirmed Shirley Watters, 58, her son Matthew Watters and his wife Justine Watters, both aged 26, all died in the light aircraft crash north of the world-famous falls yesterday.

The Watters, from Darlington in the Perth Hills, had been travelling with unnamed British friends, described as a couple aged in their 20s, who were also killed, along with the Canadian pilot.

Officials in Zambia and from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) in Australia are continuing their investigations into how the Cessna 210 crashed 33km north-east of Livingstone, on the Zambia/Zimbabwe border, killing all six people onboard.

Zambia's civil aviation director Chitalu Kabalika confirmed that shortly after take-off the pilot relayed he had an engine problem.

Less than 50 minutes later, the wreckage of the light aircraft was found in the Zimba region of Zambia, between Livingstone and Kalomo.

The two young couples had chartered the light aircraft from Zambian company Airwaves Airlink to fly some 700km from a tourist camp in South Luangwa National Park to Victoria Falls on Wednesday morning.

Shirley Watters joined the two couples on the flight, while her husband Kim, along with his cousin Shannon Farmer, and Shannon's wife Kristen - who also are from Perth - remained at the safari camp.

"After flying to Victoria Falls they stayed overnight and their return flight departed at 3.30pm (11.30pm AEST) on Thursday," the family spokesman, who declined to be named, said.

"Some 20 minutes into the flight the aircraft transmitted a mayday advising that the engine was losing oil.

"That was the last that was heard of the plane and a search and rescue helicopter discovered the wreckage shortly thereafter."

Formal identification of the bodies has not yet been completed. However, a search and rescue helicopter found the wreckage late yesterday and confirmed there were no survivors.

The family spokesman said Kim Watters and Shannon and Kristen Farmer were advised of the tragedy by representatives of the airline at 5.30pm yesterday (1.30am Friday AEST).

DFAT said consular assistance from the Australian High Commission in Harare was being provided to the remaining members of the party, who are due to return to Perth within days.

"We're saddened to learn of the death of three West Australians from the same family in a plane crash near Victoria Falls," a DFAT spokeswoman said.

Mr Kabalika said the light aircraft was registered in South Africa, to the Travel Africa company, and had been chartered by Airwaves Airlink.

Airwaves Airlink managing director Theo Goveia refused requests for an interview when contacted by AAP today, but was quoted by the Times of Zambia as saying the plane crashed because of mechanical failure.

He told the newspaper that under aviation rules and regulations, maintenance works on foreign aircraft were not permitted to be carried out locally.

Acknowledged as one of the natural wonders of the world, Victoria Falls is one of the world's most popular tourist destinations.

The falls are 1708m wide, making it the largest curtain of water in the world. It drops between 90m and 107m into the Zambezi Gorge and an average of 550,000 cubic metres of water plummets over the edge every minute.
C210

210 with 6 folks on board must have the glide ratio of a rock. The comment "shortly after take-off the pilot relayed he had an engine problem." Leads me to ask, How shortly, as it appears from above posting he countinued a bit (50 minutes). That does not calculate as good thinking. Must be the information is sketchy or inaccurate.
Another sad accident for Africa.

This is tradgic, once again. Condolences to familes involved.

But picking up between the lines here, Bert drives a chopper and I wonder if MainRotor to drives a chopper, so I ask a question regarding the "glide ratios of a rock".

The C210 in question had six on board and a hot day. Does this aircraft glide further when light or further, when heavy? I have learn't otherwise.

I wonder if my "walrus" friend, Contraxdog, in Monrovia, is good for this one?

:ok:

Guess that some of the posters above are not fixed wing pilots. Glide ratio is independent of weight; rate of descent will increase with increasing weight, but the horozontal distance travelled for a given height will remain the same. People often have difficulty grasping this aerodynamic truth, but truth it is! :-) Any POH that gives glide ratio data will not give any variation for changes in weight.

Well spoken, Gerund-that's the otherwise. Same distance heavy or light.:ok:

Anyone know the reg?:ugh:

Hey at least I got ya thinking..........Your right when Helicopters decide to fall they do come out of the sky rather quickly.......
Back to the subject. The unanswered question will no doubt take some time.........Does not make the loss any easier for those involved.
Maybe its that we hear more about smaller aircraft problems in Africa. None lately seem to have come out to well. Some, not necessarily this one, may have something to do with Recurrent Training. Specifically in the Go-No go category.

The aircraft was owned by Keith Dawin of Travel Africa, reg ZS-KOX.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/20...nt_1969619.htm

I was just checking my logbook as the reg is in my memory. I see I had last flown it from Lanseria to Mabula Lodge and back 22 Agust 1989. It was a lovely C210 then.

just wondering about this 210 business? very good aircraft,the best till the van for cessna,( I spent 1000 hours+ on it)were all AD's up to date,all pax tickets issued,W&B ok? and why did the pilot take off with a known oil leak? pax.......(e-sorry,sorry)work pressure?was not there,just gossiping. it is reported the prop reached the ground before the rest..... interresting!
May God bless those soles!RIP

Dear Fellow PPruners
I have just returned from Livingstone where, with the DCA, we have concluded their Initial Investigation.
I am seeking their permission to issue a brief statement to make certain basic facts known and to counter some of the inaccurate statements from ZIS Media release(whats new??).
I hope to be able to do this by Wednesday.
Please Stand By.

Keith Downing
Travelafrica cc

Thanks FB - our thoughts are with you and those of Mike's family, in what must be a very difficult time.

4HP

FB,
an update would be most appreciated. I can't seem to get any more info than what's currently known. I'm completely devastated by the news.
There's a memorial in Ottawa for Mike and many of his friends will be attending. I'm sure many pf them would very much like information too.
Thanks