PILOT BURNS TO DEATH IN HELICOPTER CRASH

MHLAMBANYATSI – A take-off to check out the weather ended tragically for a pilot who is also an instructor, after his chopper crashed and exploded at Mhlambanyatsi A10 forest owned by Montigny yesterday morning.

The name of the pilot who was onboard the B206 helicopter is known to this publication but will not be revealed as his family could not be reached for comment at the time of compiling this report. Efforts to get hold of his family were not successful at the time of compiling this report as they were believed to be in South Africa, Cape Town.

Cause

Information gathered from a highly placed source, who is an associate to the deceased and a local pilot who was at the accident scene to establish the cause of the crash, was to the effect that the deceased pilot owned Heli Worx, a business that operated helicopters and his aircraft was fully licensed. “He was a qualified pilot and an instructor as well who was working with small scale farmers around Siphofaneni and Big Bend,” the associate said. The source stated that the pilot worked with small scale farmers around Siphofaneni and Big Bend who contracted him to spray their sugar cane fields.

Weather

He stated that the pilot took off from the Matsapha Airport yesterday, at around 8am to check out on the weather before clearing his documents to take off at the Sikhuphe International Airport. He stated that the cause of the crash was unknown at the moment as combined reports from all stakeholders were yet to be taken to inspectors, who would be able to determine the cause of the accident.

The above information was reconfirmed by the Eswatini Civil Aviation Authority (ESWACAA). Through a press statement, management at ESWACAA confirmed that a helicopter accident occurred at Mhlambanyatsi area at around 8:10am on Tuesday (October 26, 2021).  ESWACAA stated that the Namibian registered helicopter, B206, departed from the Matsapha Airport at around 8am and en route to Lanseria in Johannesburg, SA. “ESWACAA will provide further update about this accident and potential investigations,” reads part of the statement.

Meanwhile, an eyewitness, who is an employee of Montigny, Julius Dlamini, said just around 8:10am, they heard a loud bang. This, he said happened a few minutes after a helicopter with an unusual sound which was flying very low had passed their workstation. He said together with two of his colleagues, they went outside the office to observe the aircraft, but later returned inside to continue with their work.

Dlamini said a few minutes later, they received a call from their control office, informing them about smoke that was seen around A10 forest. “Immediately, we went to inspect the forest and we were shocked by what we discovered,” he said. He mentioned that the helicopter was in flames when they arrived and they tried looking around in search of any passengers who were on board. “We could not get closer to the aircraft as it continued to explode,” he added.

Dlamini said they were later joined, by the plantation manager who was in the company of the police and they put out the flames. He said they realised that there was one person who was burnt beyond recognition. When reached for comment, Montigny’s Sihle Mavuso stated that the aircraft was a private one and had no business with their company. Mavuso said what they knew was that the owner operated in the sugar belt where he sprayed sugar cane. Chief Police Information and Communication Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed the accident, adding that only the pilot was on board the aircraft. Vilakati said they were still investigating on what might have lead to the helicopter crash.

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