Man hit and killed by landing plane in Graskop

A 27-year-old man was hit and killed by an aircraft at Graskop Airbase while on his way to work this morning.

According to provincial SAPS spokesperson, Brig Leonard Hlathi, who confirmed the incident, the victim and three other men were crossing the runway to reach a building site at which they were working.

The runway pictured at the top left. At the bottom is the building site that the four men were apparently on their way to.

Hlathi confirmed that the aircraft, a Piper Cherokee Arrow, was approaching the runway to land when the man could not get out of its way in time.

“The pilot had signalled for the men to get out the way, but to no avail,” he said.

Eyewitnesses (his colleagues) said the victim himself shouted and warned them to move away from the runway.

“As the aircraft made the landing, the man apparently thought he was allowing enough space for the aircraft to do so. He was, however, hit by the wing of the plane and killed on impact,” said Hlathi.

He added that the men were originally from Soweto, Gauteng.

Even though the Lowveld and Escarpment Fire Protection Association (Lefpa) uses the airfield during the fire season, its manager André Scheepers, confirmed that no firefighting personnel or Lefpa aircraft were involved.

Speaking on behalf of the Accident and Incident Investigation Division (AIID) at the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Kabelo Ledwaba, confirmed that the accident did take place, adding that it was reported soon after occurring.

He said the team of investigators is currently gathering information to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.

“At an appropriate time, further details will be released,” Ledwaba said.

This is a developing story and more information will be supplied as soon as it becomes available.

Graskop SAPS and the CAA were on the scene at the time.

This article first appeared on Lowvelder and has been republished with permission.

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