ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 17712
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| Date: | Saturday 6 March 1999 |
| Time: | 15:00 |
| Type: |  Bell 206B-3 JetRanger III |
| Owner/operator: | Makeean Polymers CC / Ian Macfarlane |
| Registration: | ZS-REB |
| MSN: | 4299 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Diepwalle Forest, Knysna, Western Cape -
 South Africa
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | FAPE (Port Elizabeth) |
| Hildesheim Guest House near Hoekwil in the Wilderness area. | |
| Investigating agency: | CAA S.A. |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On the morning of 5 March 1999, the pilot accompanied by his wife and his father departed on a private flight from Wonderboom Airport (near Pretoria) to Port Alfred. En route they landed at Tempe Aerodrome near Bloemfontein as well as East London Aerodrome, where fuel was uplifted. On the afternoon of 6 March 1999 they departed Port Alfred and they flew to Port Elizabeth Aerodrome (FAPE) where they landed and the helicopter was refuelled to capacity, with 149 litres of Jet A1 being uplifted.
Shortly thereafter, they departed FAPE en route to the Hildesheim Guest House near Hoekwil in the Wilderness area.
The flight was conducted under visual flight rules (VFR) and no Flight Plan was filed. The pilot was the holder of a valid private pilot's license with a night rating. The helicopter was approved for five place seating and was certified for land operations under day or night VFR (Visual Flight Rules) non-icing conditions.
Apart from standard navigational equipment there were two Global Positioning Systems (GPS's) units onboard of which one had a moving map display. The helicopter was not equipped with an Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT).
It became evident that the helicopter was missing when the person intending to meet the pilot and his passengers at Cape Town International Airport on 7 March 1999 phoned one of the pilot's sons to inquire if they were going to be late, as they haven't arrived at Cape Town yet. After phoning the guesthouse in an attempt to find out what time they had departed from the Wilderness area, they were informed that they had never arrived at the guesthouse on the afternoon of 6 March 1999.
The ARCC (Aviation Rescue Co-ordination Centre) at Johannesburg was alerted by the family on Sunday, 7 March 1999 at 1645Z. After the information was evaluated and the Department of Transport was informed, a DETRESFA (Distress phase) was declared at 1904Z. An extensive aerial, ground and sea search was initiated with the official search being terminated on 15 March 1999, after the search was futile. Family members continued with a private search in the area until 13 April 1999. The wreckage of the missing helicopter was located on 21 April 2006 by a forest worker who was preparing cut lines for the harvesting of indigenous trees, an event that is only repeated once every ten years. The three occupants that were onboard the helicopter sustained fatal injuries. With the new evidence that became available, following the discovery of the wreckage the investigation into the accident was reopened.
Probable Cause:
It would appear that the pilot attempted to remain visual with reference to the ground (VFR) underneath cloud, and in doing so had to descend and was most probably left with no other option but to penetrate obscured weather conditions,and in doing so collided with terrain/trees.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. SACAA Report
2. Chopper found 7 yrs after crash
3. Visit to crash site ends sons anguish
4. 'No truth' in jewellery stash at crash site
5. CAA finishes on-site investigation of Knysna wreck
6. Tributes to couple who died in chopper crash
7. Closure for family after visiting crash site
8. Chopper crash victims buried in forest
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 08-May-2008 01:32 | Topaz | Added |
| 02-Nov-2008 00:53 | Topaz | Updated |
| 10-Sep-2014 10:48 | harro | Updated [Narrative] |
| 10-Apr-2015 16:25 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 11-Oct-2021 19:12 | harro | Updated [Date] |
| 07-Dec-2021 09:44 | harro | Updated [Date] |
| 07-Dec-2021 12:15 | Topaz | Updated [Source] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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