Plane crash probe findings challenged

THUNDER City, the company that plans to go to court to get an official crash report, that accuses it of poor maintenance, withdrawn, has challenged various points in the findings.

The South African Civil Aviation Authority (Sacaa) accident report listed that it had always found Thunder City’s compliance “a challenge”.

The report details what happened on November 14, 2009 when Dave Stock, 46, of Hermanus, was killed. The ejection seat of the English Electric Lightning MK T5 aircraft he was flying solo failed during a display at the annual Overberg Airshow in Bredasdorp.

Last week Thunder City said it planned to conduct an independent investigation and labelled the report “scandalous and libellous”, saying the focus of the report was “premeditatedly and deliberately skewed towards fuel leaks, resulting, according to the report, in an inflight fire and subsequent dual hydraulic failure leading to the loss of the aircraft and the pilot’s life”.

Thunder City pointed out what it found to be inconsistencies in the accident report.

The report said the aircraft had been leaking fuel before Stock took off, and flames came from the fuselage in flight.

However, Thunder City said: “The Sacaa statement that fuel leaks on the day of the fateful flight were excessive is untrue. At each and every air show where Lightnings have been present, drips are experienced and this was no more excessive than any other event.”

The report said the ejection seat failed when Stock had tried to get out of the aircraft shortly before impact.

“Thunder City rejects the findings of the Sacaa report and will publish a full response in due course.”

The report said the night before the fatal flight, Stock had flown in the aircraft with a passenger and on landing at the aerodrome, a large flame and white smoke had come from the engine.

Thunder City said it had asked the aviation authority to investigate this incident but had been ignored.

The aviation authority said anyone that felt aggrieved by the findings of an investigation could appeal within 60 days of publication of the findings. The publication date of the accident report is uncertain.