SHORTLY after taking off at King Shaka International Airport earlier today, a Beech Craft Barron Aircraft (light private aircraft) had to make a quick return after experiencing a technical problem.
Colin Naidoo, the spokesman for the airport, said: “At about 11.35am today a Beech Craft Barron Aircraft (light private aircraft) that departed King Shaka International Airport had to return to the airport as it had experienced a technical problem at about 11.45am.”
The Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA) said the aircraft, with three passengers including crew, landed safely on the runway at King Shaka International Airport.
“At this stage the aircraft is on the runway which resulted in the runway being temporarily closed for all aviation activities,” they said in a statement.
It has been reported that nobody was injured on the landing, but the necessary medical precautions were taken by the emergency services.
“At this stage the airport is awaiting permission from the Civil Aviation Authority to have the aircraft removed from the runway area so that normal operations can be resumed. This incident has unfortunately resulted in delays of scheduled flights which the means aircraft scheduled to land and take off from King Shaka International will be diverted to other stations. This could take another hour until the runway is reopened for aviation activity,” Naidoo added.
He also said it is unclear what technical difficulty the airplane experienced, but said the Civil Aviation Authority will conduct an investigation.
The cause of the incident will be investigated by the Civil Aviation Authority and once that is completed they will report on their findings, Naidoo said.
“We would like to appeal to the public during this time to please contact your airline on the status of your flight but the airport is fully operational. Due to the delays, it will take a few hours for the airport to get back to their normal schedule and we ask for the public’s patience and understanding,” ACSA said in its statement.
