Pilot and 2 passengers killed in plane crash on East Rand

03 February 2016 - 18:43 By Youlendree Appasamy

Three people were killed in an air crash in the East Rand on Wednesday. William Tladi‚ spokesperson for Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Services‚ said the aircraft was on its way to the Legend Golf and Safari Lodge in Limpopo and had left from Brakpan Airfield. The aircraft allegedly crashed a few minutes after taking off.Two Austrian passengers and one South African pilot were killed. Their names have not yet been made public. ER24‚ who was on the scene‚ said in a statement their paramedics had found the bodies of three people lying inside the aircraft. With the help of the public‚ they were dragged from the wreckage but all three occupants had already succumbed to their injuries.The burning wreckage was found on a netball field near Rasebetsi Road in Wattville‚ Benoni. The area is both a residential area and informal settlement.“One of the parts of the aircraft fell onto a shack in the impact of the crash‚ but no members of the public were seriously injured in the crash and the shack was not destroyed‚” Tladi said.Tladi said it was fortunate that there were no children in the area as the crash site is used as a netball field and school playground.“One female witnessed the entire crash and nearly became a part of it but missed it [the aircraft] and was taken to hospital for shock‚” he said.Mondli Gungubele‚ Executive Mayor of Ekurhuleni‚ was on the scene to assess the damage. He sent his condolences to the families of the crash victims.After inspecting the crash site‚ Gungubele described the incident as "devastating". “Listening to the story told by eye-witnesses and looking at the crash site‚ I cannot help it but conclude that this was quite a scary and painful way to lose a life‚” he said.The South African Civil Aviation Authority are on site and investigating the cause of the aircraft crash‚ but could not be reached for comment.Last year‚ a light aircraft crashed into a house in Midrand. One person‚ thought to be the pilot‚ ejected from the aircraft and sustained serious injuries. - TMG Digital/Sowetan..

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