Helicopter Crash in Pietermaritzburg CBD (23 March 2l013)

PHOTO: Helicopter crash in #PMB on Mayors Walk. 5 people injured

Paramedics and rescue services had their hands full earlier this morning when a Jetranger helicopter crashed on Mayors Walk in Pietermaritzburg City Centre.

The helicopter crashed onto the road’s surface between buildings leaving all five of its occupants injured. Paramedics on the scene treated two people for critical injuries and three for moderate injuries. All of the occupants were rushed of per ambulance to a nearby hospital for further medical management.

The exact cause is not yet know and will be investigated by the Civil Aviation Authority. The are have also been closed off to the public. It is understood that no one else was injured in this incident.

- ER24

Plane lands on Durban beach

The pilot of this light aircraft escaped unharmed after making an emergency landing on the Snake Park beach in Durban. (Netcare 911)

Durban - A light aircraft made an emergency landing on Durban's popular Snake Park Beach on Tuesday morning.

Netcare 911 spokesperson Chris Botha said there were no injuries reported from beachgoers or the husband and wife in the plane.

Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson Phindi Gwebu said the aircraft had suffered engine failure.

She said the cause of the engine failure was unknown and an investigator was on the way to the scene.


- SAPA/News24

Three survive helicopter crash

Three people have been hurt after a helicopter crashed on a farm just outside Newcastle, in Northern KZN at around 11am this morning.

Emergency services say the pilot together with his two passengers have miraculously suffered only minor injuries and were able to climb out of the wreckage.

Officials say at this point it is unclear what caused the crash although there's speculation the Robinson-44 may've struck a power line. This has not been confirmed though.

Netcare911's Chris Botha says the three men are being checked out in hospital.

"The helicopter ... sustained very severe damage. The patients were treated and transported through to a local hospital.

"The [crash scene] will now be investigated by the Civil Aviation Authorities and the local SAP is on scene to start the investigations," he said.

- East Coast Radio News

Image: Helicopter crash earlier today Hibberdene

Paul - Durban Fire

Pilot survives helicopter crash

A helicopter pilot is lucky to be alive after the aircraft he was flying crashed near Hibberdene on the South Coast.

Emergency services say the man suffered minor injuries and was able to climb out of the wreckage himself - before it burnt out.

KwaZulu Private Ambulance paramedics say they received the call a little over an hour ago.

Spokesperson Belinda Catchpole says the pilot was alone when it crashed on a sugar cane farm outside the seaside town - not far from the local clinic.

"The scene was quite far down on one of the farms, so we couldn't drive there in the ambulance, we had to walk down through the sugarcane - and the helicopter was in flames at the time," she said.

The pilot has been taken to hospital.

- East Coast Radio News

Lugmag-vliegtuig land hard op Tempe

Die Casa 212 van die lugmag lê skuins langs die aanloopbaan van die Tempe-lughawe nadat dit hard gelandi het. Foto:Charl Devenish

'n LUGMAG-VLIEGTUIG het gisteroggend ’n harde landing op die Tempe-lughawe in Bloemfontein gehad en op die sy en linkervlerk in die gras langs die aanloopbaan tot stilstand gekom.

Die vyf bemanningslede aan boord van die Casa 212-vliegtuig is ongedeerd.

Lt.kol. Ronald Maseko, lugmag-woordvoerder, het gesê die vliegtuig het deelgeneem aan ’n oefening vir valskermsoldate.

Rufus Botha, wat sowat 500 meter van die lughawe af bly, sê die vliegtuig het met ’n harde slag geland.

“Dit het amper geklink soos ’n vragmotorband wat bars. Dit was ’n ongelooflike ontploffing. Die vliegtuig het na die linkerkant oorgeval en nie lank daarna nie, toe kom ouens uit die vliegtuig gestorm, so asof hulle gedink het dit gaan ontplof.”

Maseko sê ’n ondersoekspan is reeds van Pretoria na Bloemfontein gestuur om die ongeluk te ondersoek.

*** Einde verlede jaar was twee vliegtuie van die lugmag ook in vliegongelukke betrokke en 11 lugmaglede het hul lewe verloor.

’n C47TP-Dakota het op 5 Desember in gure weer by Giant’s Castle in die Drakensberge neergestort en die lewe van 11 lugmaglede geëis.

Nog ’n Dakota het byna ’n maand vroeër van ’n aanloopbaan by Mthatha geloop.

Nie een van die 16 passasiers of die bemanning is beseer nie.

- Volksblad

Plane lands on busy N7 highway

Cape Town - A learner pilot had to land his small plane on the busy N7, the main route between Cape Town and Namibia, on Tuesday after running out of fuel.

An inspector from the Jaffie flight school in Vredendal said the learner pilot of a Cessna 172 realised his fuel was running out and decided to do a preventative landing outside Vanrhynsdorp, reported Die Burger.

Fortunately there were not a lot of cars on the N7 at the time and no one was injured.

The right lane of the highway was closed to traffic for about an hour-and-a-half until more fuel arrived and the plane could take off again for Vredendal.

Koos Liebenberg from Jaffie flight school said it was not an emergency landing.

“Learner pilots sometimes get into worse situations than that.”

The plane was not damaged.

- News24

Microlight crash near Hazeyview (6 January 2013)

At 12h23 SAWDOS was informed by Halo Aviation that the team are Airborne to a microlight crash in the Hazyview area.

13h39 - Wreckage located by Mpu DoH EMS Heli #HALO 2 in Hazyview microlight crash. Pilot being treated by flight crew.

13h41 - Mpumalanga DoH EMS chopper on scene Hazyview aircraft crash.

13h44 - Aircraft accident - Scene is 5Nm west of Sabie (Lone Creek area). Husband and wife both stable.

13h53 - 1 Patient from aircraft accident being airlifted to a local hospital.

14h00 - 2 people on board, 1 patient airlifted to hospital. SACAA investigating accident.

Mpumalanga DoH EMS Chopper #HALO 2 on the pad at Nelspruit Mediclinic.

A husband and wife were rescued by members of EMS and ER24 this morning after their microlight crashed into a Komatiland plantation near the Lone Creek Falls.

The accident occurred at around 11:00 this morning, and the pilot made a distress call soon after the crashlanding.

Helicopters from the the provincial EMS and from ER24 were despatched. The woman was airlifted to Mediclinic Nelspruit at around 14:00 and although she sustained back injuries, her condition is described as stable.

- Halo Aviation/Look Local

Pilot behind incident failed exam more than once

Port Elizabeth - A pilot who was responsible for an incident at the airport in Mthatha in which an airforce plane was practically written off had more than once failed her flight training.

Instructors had apparently said Captain M S Mandaka was not pilot material and should “never again be considered as a pilot”, reported Beeld.

But three weeks ago Mandaka was trying to land the plane and probably because of following incorrect procedures, caused the C-47TP Dakota with 16 soldiers on board to hop twice on landing and fall into a deep ditch next to the runway.

The plane was seriously damaged and would probably be written off.

The incident also caused delays at the airport and other commercial flights to Mthatha had to be cancelled.

The airforce said it was investigating the matter.

Instructors apparently said they felt she would never pass her training and Mandaka had flown 400 flight hours to qualify as pilot although 180 hours were usually required.

Colleagues said she was a top navigator and apparently believed this made up for her dubious piloting skills.

- News24

120 Passengers disembarked safely after aborted take-off

Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has confirmed that a chartered MD82 flight operated by Global Aviation carrying 120 passengers and seven crew members aborted take-off at around 07h15 this morning at O.R. Tambo International Airport en route to Lilongwe, Malawi.

According to ACSA’s Unathi Batyashe-Fillis, Manager: Communication and Brand Management at O.R. Tambo International Airport, onsite reports indicate that one of the tyres burst and a wheel caught fire, which resulted in the pilot aborting take-off. ACSA’s Fire and Rescue team was on the scene within minutes of the incident being reported. All passengers and crew disembarked safely from the plane. No injuries were reported.

The runway has been temporarily closed to remove the aircraft and will be reopened shortly.

No major delays are foreseen at this stage.

For more information, please contact:

Unathi Batyashe-Fillis
Manager: Communication and Brand Management
O.R. Tambo International Airport
Airports Company South Africa
Direct: +27 (0) 11 921 6087
Cell: +27 (0) 79 882 7307
E-Mail: unathi.Batyashe-Fillis@airports.co.za
Web: www.airports.co.za
Mobi: m.airports.co.za


- ACSA

Plane catches fire at OR Tambo

Johannesburg -

A Global Aviation charter plane caught fire while it was aborting take-off at OR Tambo International Airport on Tuesday morning, the Airports Company SA (Acsa) said.

One of its tyres exploded, causing the plane to catch fire, Acsa spokesman Solomon Makgale said.

The aircraft, destined for Lilongwe, Malawi, was carrying 120 passengers and seven crew.

No injuries were reported and the fire had been extinguished.

Only one runway was currently operating at the airport.

- Sapa/IOL

Photo and Update: Aircraft makes precautionary landing on PE Bluewater Beach.

Maronize Goddess-of Glam Groepe: 13:30
Two-seater aircraft crash landed on the Bluewater beach.....pilot seems fine.....paramedics attended to a doggy that the aircraft seemed to have injured on the beach..... I would like to know how the dog is doing please...... He/she seemed to have been injured badly.....praying for both the pilot and the dog and thumbs up for the rescue peeps for their fast
reaction and especially for seeing to the dog as well.... I salute U!!.

Lee Pritchard & Jackie Barendse Zeelie for the photos.
Incident occurred at the Swartkops River Mouth.

Ashley Banks: 14:00
The pilot is fine not sure about the dog, we are busy on the scene now removing the aircraft. Would appreciate if the public stay away as there is still a lot of Jet Aviation fuel on the aircraft.

Nikki Pollak: 14:40
Update From Ashley Banks regarding dog hit by plane on Bluewaterbay beach : The dog might loose its eye and has a bad gash on its leg. Please pray for the dog to make a full recovery Thanks

Source: Public Servant News Network Port Elizabeth

SEA RESCUE – PORT ELIZABETH – Sunday, 11th November, 2012. Aeroplane crash lands

Daniel Heiman, NSRI Port Elizabeth duty coxswain, said:

"At 12h58 (Sunday, 11th November) NSRI Port Elizabeth volunteer sea rescue duty crew were activated following a request to respond to Blue Water Bay Beach, by Air Traffic Navigation Services (ATNS), reporting a light aircraft due to make an emergency landing on the Blue Water Bay Beach.

"It appears that the 23 year old Italian pilot, while on a training flight from the Madiba Bay School of Flight, had noticed smoke in the single seater, single propellor, light aircraft's cockpit and had declared an emergency, he had reportedly cut the engine and was gliding towards the first open piece of land he could see, which was the beach at Blue Water Bay, and the ATNS requested NSRI to respond there to assist.

"Our NSRI Port Elizabeth volunteer sea rescue duty crew launched our sea rescue craft Eikos Rescuer IV and responded (in case the aircraft landed in the water) and we dispatched our sea rescue vehicle while also alerting the Emergency Medical Services and the Police.

"Prior to our arrival on-scene Sector Police confirmed that the plane had landed safely on the beach and Sector Police and Blue Water Bay Lifeguards were in attendance at the scene. "The pilot was not injured but a dog had been injured. It appears that a man walking his dog on the beach, a poodle type dog, the dog had been struck by the plane when it landed and the dog had sustained a laceration to its eye and a laceration to its back left leg. The dog was transported to a vet by Police and we believe that the dog will make a full recovery.

"On our arrival on-scene we found the plane on the beach just above the high water mark.

"The Surf Rescue Beach Office personnel, Emergency Services, the Nelson Mandela Bay Fire and Rescue Services, Eastern Cape Government Health Emergency Medical Services, Airport Fire and Rescue Services, Airport Authorities and the SA Police Services all arrived on-scene.

"At the request of the Fire Chief the NSRI towed the plane higher up onto the beach and the scene is now under the command of the Nelson Mandela Bay Fire and Rescue Services and the SA Police Services.

"NSRI have been released from the scene as no longer required."


-ENDS-


Released by:


Craig Lambinon
Sea Rescue Communications

Leerder sterk aan na valskerm-val

Henco saam met sy ma, Connie.

MOSSELBAAI NUUS - Die 17-jarige Henco van Wyk, wat op 28 Oktober meer as 'n kilometer ver met sy valskerm naby die Mosselbaai Vliegveld geval het, sterk goed aan.

Volgens sy ma, Connie van Wyk, wat haar seun op die betrokke dag sien val het, is Henco se spoedige herstel 'n wonderwerk. Henco is in die Bayview Hospitaal behandel nadat hy frakture aan sy been en laerug opgedoen het.

Volgens sy pa, Henk, wat die eienaar van Skydive Mossel Bay is, het die aktiveringsmeganisme van die hoofvalskerm nie gewerk nie. Henco het sy reserwevalskerm ontplooi, maar dié het glo in die hoofvalskerm verstrengel geraak.

Henco is intussen oorgeplaas na 'n hospitaal in Kaapstad. Henco gaan, onder meer, 'n rugstut vir die volgende ses maande moet dra. Connie meen dis 'n wonderwerk dat haar seun lewe en geen breinskade of verlamming opgedoen het nie.

"Wat met Henco gebeur het, was deel van 'n Groter Plan, 'n geskenk en 'n tweede kans," sê Connie.

Henco gaan, na wat verneem word, na hy uit die hospitaal ontslaan is, by die huis aansterk.

ARTIKEL: LOUISE KARSTEN, MOSSEL BAY ADVERTISER-JOERNALIS

Photo: Narrow escape!

Picture: LULAMILE FENI - Daily Dispatch

SAWDOS: A South African National Defence Force aircraft was involved in a landing incident at the Mthatha Airport yesterday. The occupants were not injured.

PE Paraglider hangs out in tree for night

A PARAGLIDER who crash-landed and became lost in the bush behind Beachview on Tuesday afternoon spent the night in a tree – and fantasised about food.

Johan "Hannes" Oosthuizen, 30, was rescued at about 9am yesterday – 17 hours after he landed in the dense bush behind Anchor Street, Beachview.

Although friends immediately started searching for him, Oosthuizen told them at about 9pm to stop and return in the morning.

"Make no mistake, it was an experience. Every time I managed to close my eyes to sleep, I would hear noises and wake up," Oosthuizen said yesterday, laughing. "I was so hungry, I started thinking about food. I slept, but not a lot."

 

- The Herald

Madiba’s medical crew ‘not in crash’

The SA National Defence Force (SANDF) has denied a report that the aircraft that crashed at the Mthatha Airport in Eastern Cape was transporting former president Nelson Mandela’s medical personnel.

“This activity had no connection to the medical support that is normally rendered to the former president. The plane was not transporting medicine or his [Mandela’s] doctors,” Brigadier-General Xolani Mabanga said today.

He said it was not yet clear how many people were on the plane when it crash-landed at the airport yesterday morning.

Today, the Dispatch Online reported that 16 people, including pilots and doctors, were taken to hospital for medical check-ups after the SANDF military aircraft crash-landed.

Eastern Cape police said it was not clear what caused the crash, and that the aircraft had sustained some damage.

“The engine was damaged, as well as the right wing and propeller,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Mzukisi Fatyela.

He said an investigation would be conducted to determine the cause of the incident.

- SAPA

Plane crash lands at Mthatha Airport

Mthatha Airport. Picture: LULAMILE FENI

AN AIRCRAFT carrying former South African president Nelson Mandela’s medical personnel crash landed at the Mthatha Airport on Tuesday afternoon.

Madiba was not in the aircraft. The occupants were not injured but were taken to a Mthatha hospital.

The Daily Dispatch could not confirm which hospital they were transported to. Eastern Cape transport spokesman Ncedo Kumbaca confirmed the incident.

“The crash was a result of a faulty wheel in the aircraft. One of the wheels did not come out as it was preparing to land. Everything is under control. They were treated for shock.”

- Daily Dispatch

Aerial search for missing plane suspended

JOHANNESBURG - The aerial search for a missing plane carrying a Midrand father and his son has been called off, emergency services said on Sunday.

The Baron 55 disappeared over Mozambique last Sunday, while travelling from Uganda via Malawi to Lanseria Airport in northern Johannesburg.

A South African team had been recruited to search for Bryan Simms and his son Rob.

But chief of the Aeronautical Rescue Centre in Johannesburg, Santjie White, says their part of the search has been completed.

“From an aerial perspective, the most probable areas have been searched. The Mozambican government has suspended the aerial search and our resources have returned home.”

Search and rescue teams will be covering the ground area from Monday.

- EWN

Update: Missing Aircraft: Mozambique

Image: Google Maps edited by SAWDOS.

Latest: The services of SANSA has been called in to assist with the S&R. They will be looking at satellite images that might indicate the presence of strange objects, a disturbance on the ground or to tree tops. Resolutions from 2,5 cm to 2,5 meters. Further assistance will be flown in from Cape Town to assist in the S&R. As you will appreciate that any search and rescue mission rely heavily on funding. Although the majority of the team are made up by volunteers, there is still equipment that need to be purchased and other unforeseen expenses. These are not covered by government and need to be privately sourced. If you feel that you want to make a contribution you are most welcome to deposit an amount in the Santjie White Fund account:

Please use “Santjie” as your reference.

SAPFA
Nedbank Brits
Br 187-646
A/c 1876 019840