Adventurer Richard Morgan loved taking to the skies.
But Monday morning would be the last time the KwaZulu-Natal father of four and businessman from Everton, near Hillcrest, would do so.
Morgan, 39, and his instructor, Derek Fitzgerald, believed to be in his 20s, died after the Robinson R22 helicopter they were flying in plunged into the Umgeni River before 9am.
Emergency service crews at the scene believe a bird strike caused the crash, killing both men instantly.
An SA Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) investigation is under way to determine the exact cause.
“Richard was a skydiver and he was learning to fly helicopters. He loved it; it was his thing,” said family friend John-Mark Simmons.
“He was already in the stage of being able to fly solo. He was obviously not flying solo on Monday.”
Simmons said it was unclear who had been flying the helicopter.
“Honestly we don’t have details right now about the crash. We have tried not to look at the news. We will have to wait for the investigations to be complete.”
Simmons said Morgan was also a chef who loved feeding people.
“He had a huge heart. He set up a fully fledged kitchen for his staff of about 30 and fed them three meals a day. He never wanted anybody to be hungry.”
Simmons described Morgan, who ran engineering firm MorganCoat, as a “creative genius”, who was into robotics and virtual reality.
“When Covid-19 came he bought those prefab containers onto site as temporary residences for his staff so they would be in a safe environment.
“This is such a huge loss for everybody. He was a phenomenal guy with a thriving business.
“We are trying to deal with all of that stuff for Amelia, so that she does not have to,” he said, referring to Morgan’s wife. Their children are aged between six and 14.
Meanwhile, Ross Rodgers of the Olive Tree Church in Morningside, Durban, said on Facebook he was devastated by Fitzgerald’s death.
“Derek was one of the best young men I have ever met.”
The church said in a post that Fitzgerald served “in a large capacity throughout the years at Olive Tree and meant a great amount to us as a friend”.
The CAA said in a statement that a preliminary report would be issued within 30 days.
“The completion of the investigation will be marked by the release of a final accident report, which may contain safety recommendations aimed at improving the levels of aviation safety and the prevention of a similar accident,” said the CAA.
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