Pilot died saving four lives
NGODWANA - Just more than a year and a half after a plane crash left one dead near Elandshoek, a detailed accident report surfaced, revealing the exact circumstances surrounding the incident and an act of heroism by a pilot who saved all but one - himself.
Experienced pilot, David Goodwin (59), sat beside his partner, Michelle Tilley, who was manning the aircraft. She had 175 flight hours under her belt at that stage. Goodwin, having done well over
1 000 flying hours, was monitoring the flight. In the passengers’ seats were Tilley’s two sisters and her teen nephew.
The owner of the aircraft,
Bush Pilot Adventures situated in Wonderboom, reported that it was hired by Tilley as a means of transportation for her and her siblings to scatter their mother’s ashes around Hoedspruit.
The flight there was uneventful and all went according to plan.
The aircraft, a Cessna 206, was refuelled at Nelspruit Airfield to capacity in preparation for a flight to Wonderboom. The aircraft took off in clear weather conditions.
Approximately 20 to 30 minutes later, at 7 000 feet above sea level, clouds emerged around the aircraft. The pilot in command, Tilley, reduced the aircraft height with the intention to maintain visibility.
During this time, the plane was unintentionally flown into the valley in Elandshoek which was also covered with clouds. The pilots made a 180-degree turn to steer clear of the clouds, to no avail.
She was not instrument rated and handed over the controls to Goodwin, who was. As the aircraft’s height above ground was already low, it hit a treetop before crashing to the ground and bursting into flames.
The aircraft was destroyed on impact. According to Tilley, she could not open the left door due to serious injuries to her hands. Goodwin unbuckled himself and opened the door from the inside, allowing her and the three passengers to vacate. He was the last to exit the plane and sustained 99 per cent burns. He died in a hospital in Pretoria two days later. The report showed that the occupants walked to a nearby gravel road, 1,125 kilometres from the scene of the accident.
Tilley, her siblings and nephew, also sustained serious burns. They were all transported to various hospitals where they were later discharged.
A post-accident examination of the wreckage did not reveal any anomalies consistent with a preimpact failure or malfunction. The report indicated that a contributing factor was “poor flight planning”. Goodwin was cremated in Sunderland in the UK in January last year.