Pilot tragically killed in crash at West Coast Airshow in Western Cape [VIDEO]

The Accident and Incident Investigations Division (AIID) of the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) is investigating the cause of a plane crash that left one person dead in Saldanha.

A pilot was killed when the aircraft crashed during the West Coast Airshow at the Saldanha Airfield in the Western Cape on Saturday.

Videos shared on social media show the plane ascending, spinning mid-air, descending rapidly before plummeting to the ground and bursting into flames.

Investigations

SACAA head of communication, Sisa Majola, said the site has been secured pending the arrival of an investigation team.

“There is one confirmed fatality, a pilot on board an Impala Aircraft (Registration: ZU-IMP). The AIID is working with the event safety officers to collate preliminary information.

“The AIID will provide a public update from the scene, should this be deemed necessary. A preliminary report will be published on the SACAA website 30 days from the day of the accident,” Majola said.

WARNING: NOT FOR SENSITIVE VIEWERS

Watch the plane crashing at the West Coast Airshow

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Retraction

Meanwhile, the former head of the AIID officially retracted claims that senior officials at the aviation watchdog ignored his warnings about an aircraft just a month before a deadly crash.

Peter Mashaba retracted after reaching an agreement with the SACAA in late January.

At the heart of the dispute was the interdependence of the AIID on SACAA involving the Cessna S550 calibration aircraft crash that claimed three lives five years ago.

Mashaba posted a voice clip on the Facebook aviation group FlyAfrica in which he insinuated that SACAA and its board of directors tried to influence some of the findings in an incident report involving SACAA’s own calibration aircraft crash in January 2020.

Plane crash

The Cessna aeroplane took off from the George airport on 23 January 2020 in inclement weather and low clouds. Captain Thabiso Tolo, First Officer Tebogo Lekalakala, and Flight Inspector Gugu Comfort Mnguni were on board to perform a calibration flight.

The aircraft banked, rolled and pitched up and down before crashing into a peak of the Outeniqua mountains at high speed.

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