I.R.PIRATE
10th Mar 2005, 09:17
"Engine trouble forced a pilot to carry out an emergency landing in his light aircraft near Tongaat in KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority said.
The spokesperson said the pilot had been with a student on a training flight when the plane developed engine trouble.
He said the names of the pilot and his student were being withheld, pending an inquiry into the incident.
A full investigation is likely to be carried out to determine the exact cause of the crash.
The pilot and the student were not seriously injured. We believe the damage to the plane is extensive," said the spokesperson.
Pierre Laubscher, a witness to the incident and himself a qualified pilot, said he had seen the plane as it was making an approach to try to land in an open space north of the Dudley Pringle Dam.
It was a testimony to the quality of the training and safety of general aviation in South Africa. Based on what I saw, they performed a text book emergency procedure, thereby averting serious injury or possible loss of life," said Laubscher.
The weather had been good for flying - clear skies and light winds.
Laubscher said it was unfortunate that owing to recent heavy rains and the rough terrain, the aircraft had flipped over.
The plane was a Cessna C150.
For more than 40 years, this model has been used for training purposes all over the world, and is generally trusted as the most popular and safe training aircraft.
The area over which the two were flying is regarded as the "general flying area", which is purposely allocated for flying training.
The aircraft is valued at between R400 000 and R600 000."
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=181&art_id=vn20050310080228213C441132
The spokesperson said the pilot had been with a student on a training flight when the plane developed engine trouble.
He said the names of the pilot and his student were being withheld, pending an inquiry into the incident.
A full investigation is likely to be carried out to determine the exact cause of the crash.
The pilot and the student were not seriously injured. We believe the damage to the plane is extensive," said the spokesperson.
Pierre Laubscher, a witness to the incident and himself a qualified pilot, said he had seen the plane as it was making an approach to try to land in an open space north of the Dudley Pringle Dam.
It was a testimony to the quality of the training and safety of general aviation in South Africa. Based on what I saw, they performed a text book emergency procedure, thereby averting serious injury or possible loss of life," said Laubscher.
The weather had been good for flying - clear skies and light winds.
Laubscher said it was unfortunate that owing to recent heavy rains and the rough terrain, the aircraft had flipped over.
The plane was a Cessna C150.
For more than 40 years, this model has been used for training purposes all over the world, and is generally trusted as the most popular and safe training aircraft.
The area over which the two were flying is regarded as the "general flying area", which is purposely allocated for flying training.
The aircraft is valued at between R400 000 and R600 000."
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=181&art_id=vn20050310080228213C441132