A Beech 36 aircraft with 2 people on board departed Kimberley Airport this morning at about 08:30 3rd March 2009 bound for Ladysmith.
As the aircraft took off it experienced problems and crash landed at the end of Runway 01 at Kimberley Airport. The Fire&Rescue team was immediately on the scene where it was discovered that the passenger had unfortunately died while the pilot was critically injured.
At this stage the airport and the relevant authorities are making the necessary arrangements to attend to the deceased, take care of the survivor and to remove the wreckage from the runway.
Operations at Kimberley Airport have not been affected and the flight schedule is as per normal. The Civil Aviation Authority and SAPS are busy conducting their investigations as to the cause of the crash and they will make their findings and reports known once that has been completed.
ACSA would like to appeal to the public for their patience while we deal with this unfortunate tragedy. We also want to assure the public that the airport is fully operational.
Issued by : Colin Naidoo Manager: Communications and BrandDurban International and National AirportsAirports Company South Africa
