Poor visibility, loss of directional control, engine failure and pilot error were among the possible reasons for a single-seater light aircraft crashing in Addo Elephant National Park last week.
Poor visibility, loss of directional control, engine failure and pilot error were among the possible reasons for a single-seater light aircraft crashing in Addo Elephant National Park last week.
Ron Weissenberg, chairperson of the Grahamstown Flying Club was speaking to Grocott’s Mail following the sighting of the plane’s wreckage in the park on Saturday 1 February. It concluded a three-day search.
Police reported on Thursday 31 January that the plane had gone missing around 20km from Alexandria the previous day. The pilot was Clifford Pike, 50, from Benoni.
The plane was one of three single seater light aircraft that had departed from Port Alfred towards Port Elizabeth.
“About 20km from Alexandria, the planes picked up cloud and mist and each of the pilots took a different route to avoid this,” Grahamstown police spokesperson Captain Mali Govender said in a statement. “One of the three planes did not arrive at the airport in Port Elizabeth.”
In a media statement on Friday, Govender urged members of the public to remain calm as choppers and planes involved in the search flew low over several areas.
“Several calls from members of the community on possible sightings of the plane have been received. We have explored and investigated each of these, with no positive results thus far,” Govender said on Friday.
The search ended at 3pm on Saturday 1 February, after a Defence Force chopper, part of the rescue team, sighted the wreckage of the missing aircraft in a valley at Harvey’s Loop at the Addo Elephant National Park.
It was three days after the aircraft went missing.
Weissenberg said there are a number of reasons why is takes so long to find a small aircraft when it crashes.
“Usually there is a vast area to cover, especially if it's in a rural area, game farm or in a forest section,” he said.
In addition, he said, when a small aircraft does go down it leaves a relatively small footprint and could be covered by trees.
Some aircraft are equipped with emergency locator transmitters, which makes them easier to find if they do go down, explained Weissenberg. However, some, such as the one that crashed, may not have had this device or it was not activated.
How quickly the aircraft is found also depends on the terrain to be covered, Weissenberg said.
“Often a helicopter is used, but a foot search may be necessary in densely wooded areas.”
Asked why there appear to be so many reports of light aircraft crashing, Weissenberg said: “Whenever there are tragedies of this sort, the aviation community feels a collective sense of loss and grief. Not only for the pilots and family but for the friends and colleagues of these airmen and women. Air travel remains by far the safest form of travel per kilometre. Statistically, there are many times more light aircraft registered at any given time, than large commercial aircraft.”
Weissenberg said whereas commercial flights generally follow specific routes and are strictly controlled, this is not always the case with light aircraft. However, the chances of surviving a plane crash are higher in a light aircraft, he said, because speeds are slower and inertia is less
He said there were many possible causes of a crash, including poor or misty weather conditions, or pilot error.
High temperatures, such as the extreme heat experienced in the Addo area last weekend, would not necessarily cause a crash, he said Tempting as it may be to conjecture, it is best left to the authorities and accident professionals to investigate and provide answers.
The search entailed a number of teams, including the SAPS Air Force and ground force, including the K9 search and rescue. A medical chopper was also on standby.
Govender reported that family and friends assisted with the search in off-road vehicles and private aircraft.
The search area included, Paterson, Addo, Uitenhage, Colchester and Kirkwood.
Coordination of the search was done by SAPS Eastern Cape Disaster Manager, Captain John Fobian.
Govender said SAPS and civil aviation investigators were immediately alerted when the wreckage was located. They had arrived shortly after, Govender said in Saturday’s statement.
“They have worked until late this evening and will continue at dawn tomorrow,”
An inquest docket has been opened for investigation.
