Plane crash probe to take time

THE SA Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) has pleaded for space and time to investigate the cause of the plane crash in Pretoria that claimed two lives and left 19 others injured.

The plane, a historic Convair 340, which crashed shortly after take-off from Wonderboom Airport on Tuesday, belonged to the luxury train company Rovos Rail, which until 2009 used it to transport guests.

At the time of the crash it was eagerly awaited by Aviodrome in the Netherlands, where it was due to travel to Lelystad, making a number of stops along the way, in Zambia, Uganda, Sudan, Egypt, Croatia and Austria.

According to the Aviodrome website, the Convair – which was built in 1945 – was donated to it by Rovos owner Rohan Vos. An amount of around R5.5 million had been spent restoring and preparing the aircraft for the crossing to the museum.

At the time of the crash it was believed to be on a test flight, with the departure date set for today.

Vos’s daughter Brenda said a representative of Aviodrome was en route to South Africa.

According to the manifest, there were 14 South Africans, three Dutch nationals and two Australian nationals on board.

The SACAA said yesterday that the plane was registered in South Africa and had a flight worthiness licence that was valid until August 15.

SACAA spokesperson Kabelo Ledwaba said investigations “could vary in complexity” and take a significant time to complete. However, a preliminary report would be issued within 30 days, he said.