Johannesburg - The search for two missing planes ended on Tuesday when the bodies of all 13 occupants were found among crash wreckage in a mountainous area north-east of Tzaneen.
Those on board the aircraft with registration ZU MMI were pilot Brian Gruar and passengers Marrion Anderson, Maddison and Alexandra Doak, Tess Spence, Louise Warden and Kevin Woolacott.
On board the other plane, registration ZS NJX, were pilot Peter Gildenhuys, and passengers Stuart and Peter van Oldenburg, Frans Dely, Marietjie de Witt, and Linda Pierce. Dely was a well-known Johannesburg aviation photographer.
The Albatross aircraft took off from Tzaneen Airport in Limpopo on Sunday at 10.30am. Both planes were bound for Rand Airport in Johannesburg, after participating in the Tzaneen air show.
They were reported missing at 1.30pm on the same day, authorities said.
A search-and-rescue mission followed and the crash site was found at 8.15am on Tuesday on Mamotswiri Peak.
Bad weather and low cloud conditions initially hampered the search on Monday, Search and Rescue SA spokesperson Johnny Smith said.
Limpopo police said the bodies would be flown to Pretoria on Wednesday for post mortems to be conducted.
“Their bodies will be flown to forensics and pathology in Pretoria, with assistance from the South African National Defence Force,” said Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi.
Families had since been informed about the deaths, but had not yet identified the victims, Mulaudzi said.
“They are receiving trauma counselling.”
A crisis centre had been set up at the Rand airport.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said investigations into the crash had commenced.
Spokesperson Phindiwe Gwebu said that so far indications were that the two aircraft, carrying six and seven passengers respectively, caught fire after crashing.
“Investigators will now begin collecting what is needed from the wreckage,” she said.
That would be taken for testing and the CAA would also check on the qualifications of the pilots flying the aircraft.
Investigations could take from six months to a year, but a preliminary report could be made before then.
Disaster management head Hannes Steyn said earlier that the planes were flying in formation when they crashed at an altitude of 1570m.
“They flew directly into the cliff. There was no mid-air collision,” he said.
There was also no mayday broadcast before the crash and indications were that the occupants of both planes died on impact.
Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele thanked search and rescue teams, as well as volunteers involved in the search and rescue operation. - Sapa