Slim chance of locating aircraft

THE search for Johan Christiaan Fourie (61), a professional mine surveyor and pilot of Newcastle, who has been missing for almost two months, looks bleak.

Reports indicate that it is very unlikely that any trace of Fourie or his Foxbat tricycle-gear ultralight aircraft, with the call sign ZU-PCB, will ever be found, with the chances lessening each day.

While the case at this stage still remains that of a missing person, all indications thus far suggest that Fourie had been flying at high speed at a low altitude before crashing into the ocean at Mabibi, near Mbazwana.

No signs of Fourie or his aircraft have surfaced despite numerous ongoing air, land and sea search operations.

According to an aviation expert, Fourie’s aircraft was very light in weight, approximately 600kg, and would have disintigrated upon impact.

The engine of the plane together with the aluminium body, which would have fragmented, would have sunk.

The fuel tanks, made of fibreglass, in all likelihood would have ruptured and filled with water.

The ZO previously reported that Fourie took off from Newcastle Airport on 6 June after signing in for take-off at 7.47am.

He is believed to have flown towards Pongola before heading in the direction of Lake Sibaya.

At approximately 11.55am, Fourie made contact with his wife via WhatsApp when he sent her photographs of Lake Sibaya.

The last known signal emitted from his aircraft was over the coastline of Mabibi.