Chopper crash investigated

Harrismith - The air force launched an investigation on Sunday into an Alouette helicopter that had crashed next to the N3 on Friday.

Witnesses said the helicopter gave an impromptu air show at the busy Bergview 1-Stop, where the crew landed for a Wimpy take-away breakfast.

If witness reports were correct, the crew of the Alouette - which was reduced to a wreck - were in big trouble, said a former airforce helicopter instructor.

Airforce members refused to comment at the site of the crash, and onlookers were forbidden to take photos. Those who took photos with digital cameras or cellphones were ordered to remove them.

Juan Smith, manager of the Pringles Inn and Grill at the Bergview centre on the opposite side of the highway between Johannesburg and Durban, said the helicopter had landed in the centre's playground.

It stood there for quite a while, according to witnesses. The four crew bought take-away breakfasts at the Wimpy and talked to members of the public.

"I ran like a little boy to watch it take off," Smith said. The helicopter didn't fly away immediately, but first circled the centre at a low altitude and at an angle, he said.

"It passed close to the trees. It looked as if they were giving a show. When it went over the N3 it sounded as if it was losing power. It banked to the right, dropped to the earth and overturned.

"A part of the rotor blade shot over the N3 and landed in the centre's mini-farm, metres from the playground where a group of children from a creche had gathered.

Sara Zim, owner of the Siziphethe crèche, who was accompanying the group of 40 children and five parents, said the children were earlier shown the helicopter.

"What happened afterwards gave us a big fright. The children were very scared."

The former instructor said: "Every flight is noted in an authorisation book. According to this, the route, minimum height and any manoeuvres are authorised according to specific guidelines.

"No authorisation will be provided for a landing to buy take-aways, however."

The army called the accident a "forced emergency landing" and said a board of inquiry would investigate it.

Two of the four crew, all from Bloemfontein, were taken to hospital. The other two escaped unscathed. The Alouette was based at the Bloemspruit air force base.

News24

7 April 2006: Update

I have received correspondence from Jill Heward who has commented as follows:

''As a matter of interest, the Harrismith incident that you were referring to, where the pilot was facing charges of negligence, got a promotion, a SAAF commendation and is now working in the Augusta project. All this after doing a wingover in a fully loaded Alo, far off his planned route, endangering the lives of children and civilian motorists, as it was holiday season at the time.''