No closure for pilot’s mother
THE funeral of qualified private pilot Kivash Narain, who died last month when the light aircraft he was piloting crashed in a sugar cane field near Winklespruit, was held on Saturday.
Many of his colleagues from the Durban Aviation Centre, where he had been studying towards his commercial licence, also attended.
Narain’s mother, Radha, said she felt heartsore yet blessed.
“Their attendance showed the good rapport Kivash held with his colleagues,” she told POST this week.
The DAC, which operates from Virginia Airport, owned the aircraft that crashed.
Engine failure has been blamed, but civil aviation authorities are investigating.
It is believed Narain, 20, of Newlands West, attempted a forced landing.
But the Cessna 172 aircraft hit power cables, crashing and catching fire on impact.
The funeral was put on hold until DNA analysis was completed for identification.
Narain’s friend, fellow private pilot Armand Kakudji, 20, of the Democratic Republic of Congo, also died during the crash.
When asked if the funeral gave her closure, Radha said: “As a mother, nothing will give me closure.
“The funeral was just a formality.”
She said two of Kakudji’s uncles attended the funeral and were currently waiting for the paperwork to be completed for his body to be expatriated to the DRC.