Three people were injured on Tuesday when two light aircraft collided at Wonderboom Airport.
One of the planes, a Jabiru, was practising landing and taking off manoeuvres when the accident occurred late in the afternoon. Apparently the other plane, a Piper, was approaching for landing after receiving clearance from the control tower just behind the Jabiru.
The Piper landed on top of the Jabiru and dragged it along the runway until the two planes came to a standstill.
Paramedics rushed to the scene to assist the injured.
Police spokeswoman Constable Portia Maleka couldn’t give further details about the incident.
Tshwane Metro Council spokesman Console Tleane said: “The exact cause of the accident is not known.
“The Civil Aviation Authority will investigate the cause of the accident.
“The accident led to the closure of one of the two runways. However, the airport remains open with the other runway still operational.”
A student pilot who was at the scene said he believed the accident might have been caused by pilot error or misinformation from the control tower.
Corné Coetzee said even with the smaller plane on the runway, the other pilot should have spotted it. “The pilot on final approach needs to keep watch of what is happening on the runway or he might have come in at a high speed and noticed the plane too late.
“The control tower staff might also have misjudged the distance between the planes when they gave clearance,” he said. The injured were taken to hospital. - Pretoria News