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Cape Town - At least 12 search and rescue aircraft, ready to fly as part of efforts to find two Albatross aircraft that went missing in George’s Valley in Limpopo at the weekend, have been grounded due to bad weather.
“We have nothing, nothing yet,” Darrell Rush, with the rescue crew, told News24 on Monday morning.....
Johannesburg - A search and rescue team was hiking to an area where a Maake community leader said he saw two light aircraft go down, Limpopo police said on Monday.
"As soon as we got the information from the man we asked the defence force to use their helicopter to go to the village," Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said.
"The helicopter couldn't get through because of the weather and so we have dispatched a team of rescue personnel and police who are on the ground now."
Johannesburg - The wreckage of the two aircraft that went missing in George's Valley near Tzaneen has been found, Search and Rescue SA spokesperson Johnny Smit said on Tuesday.
Smit said it was not yet established if any of the people on board survived the crash.
Rescue personnel were being hoisted down into the area to look for survivors, he said.
When News24 last spoke to Smit he said there was no word yet from rescuers on whether or not they had found survivors or bodies.
He said, however, that communication with the rescue team was tricky given that they were in a mountainous region.
Both planes were discovered by a police helicopter, after weather allowed for search and rescue efforts to continue on Tuesday.
Bad weather, and low cloud conditions had hampered operations on Monday, Smit said.
He added that rescue efforts would be a "straight forward operation".
Most of the family of those on board had also gathered in Tzaneen. Family and media in the area were being briefed by rescue personnel.
The planes disappeared on the way to Germiston after an air show on Sunday.
Yea it is really sad, there were some well know and respected members of the aviation on board as well . And just last week I saw those two planes come flying over the house, little did I know that that would be the last time I will ever see them
Johannesburg - A memorial service for the 13 people who died in a twin aircraft crash near Tzaneen will be held at the Rand Airport at 11:00 on Sunday, said airport officials.
On-site investigations had been completed and a preliminary report was expected within 30 days, SA Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson Phindiwe Gwebu said on Friday.
"We haven't removed the wreckage yet, it's a complicated exercise. There are a lot of role-players who need to be consulted to help remove the wreckage," she said.
The Albatross aircraft took off from the Tzaneen Airport in Limpopo on Sunday at 10.30 after participating in the Tzaneen air show.
It was headed for Rand Airport in Johannesburg, but did not get there and were reported missing at 13.30.
Bad weather and low cloud conditions hampered a search for the aircraft on Monday. They were found on the Mamotswiri Peak, in the Drakensberg, on Tuesday.
All 13 people on board had died. Their bodies were flown to Pretoria on Wednesday for post mortems.
On board one of the aircraft were: Pilot Brian Gruar and passengers Marrion Anderson, Maddison and Alexandra Doak, Tess Spence, Louise Warden and Kevin Woolacott.
Those on the other aircraft were: Pilot Peter Gildenhuys, and passengers Stuart and Peter van Oldenburg, Frans Dely, Marietjie de Witt, and Linda Pierce.
. And just last week I saw those two planes come flying over the house, little did I know that that would be the last time I will ever see them