Family of five survive horror crash at airport
A KWAZULU-NATAL pilot and his wife were seriously injured when their small plane crashed at the East London Airport yesterday.
Air charter company owner Willem Nieuwenhuis and his wife, Sanja, suffered multiple fractures and were airlifted to hospital, while their three children – whose names and ages could not be established – escaped with light injuries.
Nieuwenhuis, who was flying the plane, has a commercial pilot’s licence.
The plane – a five-seater single engine Maule – was sold by retired Durban businessman John Fischer two months ago.
“If there were strong winds, landing in one of those planes is very tricky,” Fischer said last night.
“As you touch down, you have to slow down immediately otherwise the wind catches the tail and flips the plane.
“East London is a dangerous airport to land at in that type of plane due to the strong winds,” he said.
A family friend, who did not want to be named, also said Nieuwenhuis may have experienced difficulty landing the plane due to strong winds.
“We were told the parents sustained multiple fractures while the children had minor injuries,” the friend said.
Airports Company of South Africa (Acsa) spokesman Collin Naidoo said the plane crash-landed on the main runway at 10.33am.
He said it was still unclear where
the plane had been coming from.
However, according to the Aviation enthusiast website, Avcom, a red and white Maule – which matches the description of the aircraft – was seen leaving Grahamstown yesterday morning.
“We had to close the main runway for safety reasons [after the crash] and a secondary runway was opened,” Naidoo said.
He said it took the Acsa team an hour to clear the runway.
“The cause of the crash is still unknown and will be investigated by the Civil Aviation Authority.”
Provincial health spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said the family was flown by an emergency rescue helicopter to hospital.
Dynamics Emergency Services spokesman Rudy Robson said they had received a call just after 11am about the accident.
“The aircraft was completely wrecked,” he said.
“It had crashed on the grass patch next to the main runway.
“We are not sure what caused the crash but it sounds like they may have had trouble landing due to strong winds.”
SA Weather Services forecaster Quinton Jacobs said the wind was blowing between 35km/h and 55km/h at about 9.30am and soon after had picked up quite substantially.
“This sudden change in the wind could have led to misjudgment by the pilot. However, we will have to wait for the invest- igation to be concluded,” he said.
Curious motorists stopped on the side of the road and clambered on top of their cars to see what was happening at the airport.
East London police spokesman Lieutenant Mtati Tana said police were not allowed to comment on incidents at the airport.
Bruce Janssens, Life Healthcare Group regional manager for Border, Kei and Port Elizabeth, confirmed that five patients had been admitted to St Dominic’s Hospital after the crash.
He declined to give any information about their condition.
The family friend said yesterday afternoon the husband and wife were undergoing surgery while the children were doing fine. – Additional reporting by Gareth Wilson