Airliner crash report due today
FAMILY gatherings are just not the same for the loved ones of Umhlanga helicopter pilot Cameron Dalziel who was killed when a Malaysian Airlines jet was shot down over Ukraine in July last year.
Dalziel’s older brother, Campbell, told The Mercury yesterday that they had all been badly affected, and there was now a void in the family.
He said they were waiting for an official Dutch report, which they hoped would shed some light on what might have led to the Malaysian Airline Boeing 777 being shot down.
Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17 last year when it crashed after being shot down, killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew.
The Dutch Safety Board, which has been conducting an investigation into what led to the incident that cost the lives of Dalziel and the other passengers and crew near Grabovo village, in Ukraine, will release the report today.
Campbell said the family was aware the report would be released today as the board had kept in contact with them. He said that knowing the truth might heal the wounds, but the scars would never heal.
“It should never have happened. It must not be swept under the carpet, and someone must be held accountable,” he said.
He added that family gatherings, such as birthday parties and holidays, would never be the same again.
He said the family were facing a daily struggle to deal with the loss.
“It has not been easy. There is a void. Reine (Dalziel’s window) is trying to be the father and mother. All of us have been trying hard.”
Dalziel’s sister, Candice, had previously said the body of her brother, who had South African and British citizenship, had been identified by DNA analysis.
At the time of the crash, Dalziel, 43, had been returning from training in Amsterdam to Malaysia, where he worked as a pilot.