Durban - Investigators from the South African Civil Aviation Authority are piecing together the circumstances of mid-air collision between two light aircraft that claimed the lives of four people near Grasmere, south of Gauteng.
The crash occurred on Monday evening and nearly 24 hours later, investigators were still probing what caused the accident.
Kabelo Ledwaba, a spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority said the investigation was still in its infancy.
“The investigation team is at the scene and the evidence collection phase has thus begun. This phase will help in defining the size, scope, and anticipated time-frame of the investigation,” Ledwaba said.
He said the purpose of an aircraft accident investigation is to establish the cause or the probable cause of an accident and, if necessary, to issue safety recommendations that will help avoid recurrence of accidents as a result of the same causes.
“Investigations can vary in complexity and may at times take a bit of time to complete. However, should a critical safety issue be identified during the course of the investigation, the investigating team will then immediately notify all relevant parties so that appropriate action can be taken,” he said.
Ledwaba said a preliminary report will be issued within 30 days from the day of this accident.
“In instances where an investigation takes longer than 12 months to complete, the investigation team is expected to issue an interim statement to indicate the progress made at that particular point in time. The completion of an investigation is marked by the release of a final accident report, which often contain safety recommendations aimed at improving the levels of aviation safety and the prevention of a similar accident,” he said.
The identities of the deceased and where they were going to or returning from had not been released to the media at the time of publishing.
IOL