NEWS & EVENTS - ATTRITION
7 February 2005
Plane crashes outside Nelspruit
Attrition
Five people have been injured, one critically, after a plane crash outside Nelspruit last night. It's understood the light military aircraft took off from Nelspruit airport just before 6 o'clock, but couldn't gain altitude. It then crashe...
3 November 2004
'Miracle' pilot meets his angel
Attrition
As the giant eight-ton Air Force Oryx helicopter hurtled uncontrollably to Earth, Captain Brent Groger believed he was "most definitely finished".Groger, 25, was in the rear of the chopper and the last thing he remembers about the freak acc...
28 October 2004
Alouettes 'on leave' after accident
Attrition
The following is a rough translation from an Afrikaans article that appeared in Beeld:The Alouette helicopters from the airforce helicopter flying school at Bloemspruit have been grounded after one of the helicopters performed an emergency landing du...
26 October 2004
Alouette performs emergency landing
Attrition
An uncomfirmed rumour states that an Alouette III of 87 HFS, flown by a student, performed an emergency landing in a field today after rumblings were heard from the engine, which then 'cut out'.The Alouettes have, once again, been grounded....
8 October 2004
Hercules brakes catch fire
Attrition
The following is a rough translation from an Afrikaans article that appeared in Beeld:One of the SAAFs C-130 Hercules aircraft caused drama on Friday at Johannesburg International Airport when the brakes caught fire. The aircraft came to a stop on on...
2 October 2004
Air Force mum on rumours that crash pilot failed written exams three times
Attrition
The SA Air Force will investigate allegations that a trainee pilot who crashed an aircraft near Langebaan this week had repeatedly failed his written examinations and should not have been allowed to fly.According to a report this week, the trainee pi...
30 September 2004
SAAF: 'Quotas, not quality'
Attrition
Former flight instructors said on Wednesday the air force's focus was no longer on quality, but rather on statistics and quotas. This came after a student pilot crashed a plane on Tuesday - after having failed his flight test three times. It is b...
28 September 2004
'Failed' student prangs plane
Attrition
An aviation student at the airforce's central flying school - who was earlier allowed to continue his training despite failing numerous exams - damaged a training aircraft in an accident at the school on Tuesday (today). The student is unscathed,...
20 July 2004
Copter crashes clip SAAF wings
Attrition
The South African air force's wings have been clipped even further after two helicopter crashes in less than a week. The two incidents have again raised the debate about the air force's operational capabilities. On July 1 and July 6, an Oryx ...
2 July 2004
Update to Oryx crash
Attrition
Unconfirmed reports indicate that the Oryx which crashed today, number two in a two ship formation, experienced a total tail rotor failure while transitioning into the hover at 40 feet AGL. The helicopter spun and hit the ground hard, causing the air...
1 July 2004
Oryx crash lands
Attrition
Johannesburg - Three crew of an SA Airforce Oryx helicopter escaped unharmed when the aircraft crash-landed in the Kempton Park area on Thursday afternoon. "The helicopter was attempting to land after its flight when it spun out of control and w...
9 May 2004
'Mess' after fatal plane crash
Attrition
Erika Gibson Pretoria - The parents of two young fighter pilots who died almost five months ago in an Impala accident are still braving "the bureaucratic mess" of the SANDF's administration. Lieutenants Derik Duvenage, 22, and Andy Mart...
11 March 2004
Microlight crashes at school
Attrition
Zeldah Mashele Phalaborwa - A military microlight plane, piloted by a special forces commando, crash-landed in front of scores of surprised school children at a Limpopo high school on Wednesday. The flimsy aircraft landed hard before skidding across ...
17 November 2003
Impala jets wings clipped
Attrition
All South African Air Force (SAAF) Impala MKI fighter jets have been grounded pending investigations into the cause of the crash which claimed the lives of two pilots last week.Impala MKII jets have also been grounded until Wednesday, when it will be...
16 November 2003
Impala jet crash mystery
Attrition
Long before this weeks tragedy, another pilot died. His parents still dont know why THE parents of an Impala fighter pilot killed 18 months ago are still waiting for the SA Air Force to tell them how their son died in a crash similar to the one that ...
13 November 2003
Pilots 'ejected too late'
Attrition
A flight instructor and a young pilot desperately tried to land their Impala jet on a highway, but died when they ejected too late.One of them, still in the ejection seat, landed on a moving truck and crashed through the roof into the cargo hold. The...
12 November 2003
Pilots die after ejecting from 'doomed jet'
Attrition
Two pilots had to eject from their low-flying Impala fighter aircraft after its engine apparently failed about 30km from Nelspruit. But neither managed to parachute to safety, police in Mpumalanga have reported. One of the pilots was killed when he p...
6 June 2003
Further info on Oryx crash
Attrition
Further to the Oryx crash yesterday at Durban, it has been rumoured that the Oryx was doing vectored ILS's at FADN and had already been flying for quite a while.The following was obtained via a pilot internet chat group:"He was +- 10nm miles...
5 June 2003
SAAF chopper crash - crew safe
Attrition
The SA Air Force said on Thursday one of its fleet of Denel Oryx medium transport helicopters had crash-landed at Durban International Airport.Lieutenant Ronald Maseko said there was no deaths, only minor injuries.The 15 Squadron helicopter's cre...
1 April 2003
Cheetah C pilot ejects safely
Attrition
The pilot of a Cheetah C, Maj Andrea Serra, successfully ejected from his aircraft near AFB Louis Trichardt today when the aircraft developed problems during an air-to-air training sortie. It was unclear whether the problems were of a technical natur...
22 September 2002
SAAF Harvard crashes at AAD 2002
Attrition
The last T-6G Harvard operated by the SAAF Museum was last on 22 September 2002 at 11h40 whilst preparing to perform a flypast on the last day of Africa Aerospace and Defence 2002 being held at AFB Waterkloof, Pretoria. After suffering a loss of powe...
28 June 2002
Rooivalk crash
Attrition
South Africa's embattled Rooivalk attack helicopter programme came under renewed pressure when a production model made a forced crash landing near Pretoria on Friday.Nobody was injured in the crash, but the helicopter was extensively damaged. The...
26 April 2002
Pilot dies in Impala crash
Attrition
Captain Brett Burmeister of 85 CFS was killed when his Impala MkII crashed into a hill during a low-level tactical navigation exercise in the Northern Province. The Impala went down about five kilometres east of the Albasini Dam between Louis Trichar...
5 March 2002
Alouette III accident
Attrition
A SAAF Alouette III was involved in an accident at Welkom after a crime prevention raid. The Alouette landed fairly heavily on a sports field after a cockpit warning was detected by the pilot, Capt Liesl Bennet. The crew were not seriously inju...
28 September 2001
Mustang to be rebuilt, Spitfire put on hold
Attrition
Authority has been given for the SAAF Museum Mustang, which landed wheels up at AFB Waterkloof on 6 May 2001, to be repaired. It should be ready to fly by April 2002.However, the restoration of the Spitfire, which crashed on 15 April 2000, has been p...
Plane crashes outside Nelspruit
Attrition
Five people have been injured, one critically, after a plane crash outside Nelspruit last night. It's understood the light military aircraft took off from Nelspruit airport just before 6 o'clock, but couldn't gain altitude. It then crashe...
'Miracle' pilot meets his angel
Attrition
As the giant eight-ton Air Force Oryx helicopter hurtled uncontrollably to Earth, Captain Brent Groger believed he was "most definitely finished".Groger, 25, was in the rear of the chopper and the last thing he remembers about the freak acc...
Alouettes 'on leave' after accident
Attrition
The following is a rough translation from an Afrikaans article that appeared in Beeld:The Alouette helicopters from the airforce helicopter flying school at Bloemspruit have been grounded after one of the helicopters performed an emergency landing du...
Alouette performs emergency landing
Attrition
An uncomfirmed rumour states that an Alouette III of 87 HFS, flown by a student, performed an emergency landing in a field today after rumblings were heard from the engine, which then 'cut out'.The Alouettes have, once again, been grounded....
Hercules brakes catch fire
Attrition
The following is a rough translation from an Afrikaans article that appeared in Beeld:One of the SAAFs C-130 Hercules aircraft caused drama on Friday at Johannesburg International Airport when the brakes caught fire. The aircraft came to a stop on on...
Air Force mum on rumours that crash pilot failed written exams three times
Attrition
The SA Air Force will investigate allegations that a trainee pilot who crashed an aircraft near Langebaan this week had repeatedly failed his written examinations and should not have been allowed to fly.According to a report this week, the trainee pi...
SAAF: 'Quotas, not quality'
Attrition
Former flight instructors said on Wednesday the air force's focus was no longer on quality, but rather on statistics and quotas. This came after a student pilot crashed a plane on Tuesday - after having failed his flight test three times. It is b...
'Failed' student prangs plane
Attrition
An aviation student at the airforce's central flying school - who was earlier allowed to continue his training despite failing numerous exams - damaged a training aircraft in an accident at the school on Tuesday (today). The student is unscathed,...
Copter crashes clip SAAF wings
Attrition
The South African air force's wings have been clipped even further after two helicopter crashes in less than a week. The two incidents have again raised the debate about the air force's operational capabilities. On July 1 and July 6, an Oryx ...
Update to Oryx crash
Attrition
Unconfirmed reports indicate that the Oryx which crashed today, number two in a two ship formation, experienced a total tail rotor failure while transitioning into the hover at 40 feet AGL. The helicopter spun and hit the ground hard, causing the air...
Oryx crash lands
Attrition
Johannesburg - Three crew of an SA Airforce Oryx helicopter escaped unharmed when the aircraft crash-landed in the Kempton Park area on Thursday afternoon. "The helicopter was attempting to land after its flight when it spun out of control and w...
'Mess' after fatal plane crash
Attrition
Erika Gibson Pretoria - The parents of two young fighter pilots who died almost five months ago in an Impala accident are still braving "the bureaucratic mess" of the SANDF's administration. Lieutenants Derik Duvenage, 22, and Andy Mart...
Microlight crashes at school
Attrition
Zeldah Mashele Phalaborwa - A military microlight plane, piloted by a special forces commando, crash-landed in front of scores of surprised school children at a Limpopo high school on Wednesday. The flimsy aircraft landed hard before skidding across ...
Impala jets wings clipped
Attrition
All South African Air Force (SAAF) Impala MKI fighter jets have been grounded pending investigations into the cause of the crash which claimed the lives of two pilots last week.Impala MKII jets have also been grounded until Wednesday, when it will be...
Impala jet crash mystery
Attrition
Long before this weeks tragedy, another pilot died. His parents still dont know why THE parents of an Impala fighter pilot killed 18 months ago are still waiting for the SA Air Force to tell them how their son died in a crash similar to the one that ...
Pilots 'ejected too late'
Attrition
A flight instructor and a young pilot desperately tried to land their Impala jet on a highway, but died when they ejected too late.One of them, still in the ejection seat, landed on a moving truck and crashed through the roof into the cargo hold. The...
Pilots die after ejecting from 'doomed jet'
Attrition
Two pilots had to eject from their low-flying Impala fighter aircraft after its engine apparently failed about 30km from Nelspruit. But neither managed to parachute to safety, police in Mpumalanga have reported. One of the pilots was killed when he p...
Further info on Oryx crash
Attrition
Further to the Oryx crash yesterday at Durban, it has been rumoured that the Oryx was doing vectored ILS's at FADN and had already been flying for quite a while.The following was obtained via a pilot internet chat group:"He was +- 10nm miles...
SAAF chopper crash - crew safe
Attrition
The SA Air Force said on Thursday one of its fleet of Denel Oryx medium transport helicopters had crash-landed at Durban International Airport.Lieutenant Ronald Maseko said there was no deaths, only minor injuries.The 15 Squadron helicopter's cre...
Cheetah C pilot ejects safely
Attrition
The pilot of a Cheetah C, Maj Andrea Serra, successfully ejected from his aircraft near AFB Louis Trichardt today when the aircraft developed problems during an air-to-air training sortie. It was unclear whether the problems were of a technical natur...
SAAF Harvard crashes at AAD 2002
Attrition
The last T-6G Harvard operated by the SAAF Museum was last on 22 September 2002 at 11h40 whilst preparing to perform a flypast on the last day of Africa Aerospace and Defence 2002 being held at AFB Waterkloof, Pretoria. After suffering a loss of powe...
Rooivalk crash
Attrition
South Africa's embattled Rooivalk attack helicopter programme came under renewed pressure when a production model made a forced crash landing near Pretoria on Friday.Nobody was injured in the crash, but the helicopter was extensively damaged. The...
Pilot dies in Impala crash
Attrition
Captain Brett Burmeister of 85 CFS was killed when his Impala MkII crashed into a hill during a low-level tactical navigation exercise in the Northern Province. The Impala went down about five kilometres east of the Albasini Dam between Louis Trichar...
Alouette III accident
Attrition
A SAAF Alouette III was involved in an accident at Welkom after a crime prevention raid. The Alouette landed fairly heavily on a sports field after a cockpit warning was detected by the pilot, Capt Liesl Bennet. The crew were not seriously inju...
Mustang to be rebuilt, Spitfire put on hold
Attrition
Authority has been given for the SAAF Museum Mustang, which landed wheels up at AFB Waterkloof on 6 May 2001, to be repaired. It should be ready to fly by April 2002.However, the restoration of the Spitfire, which crashed on 15 April 2000, has been p...
