Second plane crash death

The plane crash north of Pretoria on Tuesday has claimed a second life.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said one of three people injured on the ground when the plane crashed into a small factory had died on Wednesday morning.

Flight engineer Christo Barnard died at the scene of the crash‚ which occurred shortly after takeoff from the Wonderboom Airport at about 4.30pm.

A passenger also suffered a double amputation.

The Dutch aviation museum Aviodrome confirmed in a Facebook post that a second person – a factory worker in the building the plane hit – had died. “There are still patients in the hospital‚ two of whom are critical,” it said.

The CAA said there had been 19 people on board – 16 passengers‚ two pilots and the flight engineer.

Of the 19 people on board‚ three were Dutch‚ two Australian and 14 South African.

“The investigation is still at an early stage and therefore some details are yet to be verified,” it said.

The CAA said a preliminary report would be released within 30 days.

Meanwhile, Christo Lee, in a post on a Facebook group on Wednesday following Barnard’s death, said: “I knew him well as the brother of one of my best friends. He was an exSAAF [South African Air Force] member who joined in the early 1980s.”

A video has emerged that captures the final moments before the plane crashed.

In it, the Convair 340 can be seen moving down the runway and taking off.

The aircraft was formerly operated by Rovos Air as part of a small fleet ferrying passengers on nostalgic air safaris in southern Africa in conjunction with train journeys undertaken by Rovos Rail.

Rovos Rail spokesperson Brenda Vos said the aircraft – a Convair 340 that first flew in 1954 – had been acquired by Aviodrome a few months ago.