Agusta's grounded
Date: 15 December 2010
By Dean Wingrin
The Department of Defence has confirmed that a SAAF Agusta A109 helicopter crashed today during an exercise involving the South African Police Service (SAPS).
The helicopter was conducting an assessment of crime high risk areas and the identification of accurate navigation coordinates in and around Durban. The crew was accompanied by a member of Business Against Crime.
During the flight, the pilot lost control of the helicopter and had to execute an emergency landing. There were no serious injuries reported, but the commander of the aircraft and a civilian member were taken to the Ballito Hospital (Durban) for observation.
It is also understood that the SAAF has temporarily grounded all their A109 helicopters as a result of today's crash. A number of the helicopters were due to take particpate in the flypast at the Armed Forces Day at the Thaba Tshwane sports ground, Pretoria, tomorrow.
