Rudi Rodgers, NSRI Yzerfontein station commander, said:
At 15h51 on the afternoon of Thursday, 09th August, NSRI Yzerfontein volunteer sea rescue duty crew were activated following a request for assistance from First Choice medics who had been activated by Atlantic Medical Response (who had already begun a search) to join in a search following reports of a Microlight aircraft, with 2 persons onboard, crashed somewhere between Yzerfontein and Saldana Bay in the vicinity of 60 mile beach.
Our NSRI Yzerfontein volunteer sea rescue duty crew responded in our NSRI 4x4 rescue vehicle carrying the First Choice paramedics and on arrival in the general vicinity our rescuers began to search inland on foot hiking some 2 kilometers before reaching the wreckage of the Microlight aircraft 2 kilometers inland from the beach and 7 kilometers from Yzerfontein.
A Gyro pilot on a Gyro aircraft, from Morningstar airfield, and SA National Park rangers had also joined in the search.
At the same time as our arrival on-scene the Western Cape Government Health EMS rescue helicopter, Skymed, also arrived on–scene.
The female passenger, Sarie Brits, 49, from Tableview, Cape Town, was not injured and the male pilot, Dirk Coetzee, 46, from Tableview, Cape Town, had sustained a suspected dislocated right shoulder and a pelvic injury and he was airlifted by Skymed to Milnerton Medi-Clinic in a stable condition.
The female was airlifted to Yzerfontein and handed into the care of NSRI Yzerfontein sea rescue crew medics to assist her with logistics to return home.
It appears that the two are in a relationship and according to Sarie they had flown from Saldanha Bay to Atlantis and were returning to Saldanha Bay when the Microlight allegedly ran out of fuel. "She told NSRI that on their descent they hit a sand dune causing the Microlight to crash land in a heap."
-ENDS-
Released by:
Craig Lambinon
Sea Rescue Communications
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