Aviation regulator probes Tshwane helicopter crash

A helicopter crashed on a game farm on Wednesday, 30km north of Wonderboom in Tshwane. No injuries were reported. According to the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) spokesperson Kabelo Ledwaba, the incident is under investigation.

“The team has started the process of gathering more information on this matter,” said Ledwaba.

“It is vital to point out that investigations can vary in complexity and may at times take a bit of time to complete.”

“However, should a critical safety issue be identified during the course of the investigation, the investigating team will then immediately notify relevant parties so that appropriate action can be taken.”

According to Ledwaba, a preliminary report is issued within 30 days from the day of an accident.

“In instances where an investigation takes longer than 12 months to complete, the investigation team is expected to issue an interim statement to indicate the progress made at that particular point in time.”

He said that the main purpose of an aircraft accident investigation was to establish the cause or the probable cause of an accident and, if necessary, to issue safety recommendations that could help avoid the recurrence of another accident as a result of the same cause.

“In terms of Regulation 12.03.1 of the Civil Aviation Regulations [2011], an aircraft accident investigation report is compiled in the interest of the promotion of aviation safety and the reduction of the risk of aviation accidents or incidents and not to apportion blame or liability.”