2 die in Windhoek plane crash

BOTH occupants of an aircraft that took off from Windhoek’s Eros Airport late yesterday afternoon were killed when their plane crashed almost immediately after take-off.

The aircraft – a single-engined Beechcraft with the registration number V5-KLB – crashed after taking off from the airport shortly before 18h00. According to aircraft accident investigator Ericsson Nengola both occupants of the plane were fatally injured.The plane came down amongst thorn bushes close to the Trade Centre shopping complex on the eastern side of the main road leading out of Windhoek to Rehoboth.Nengola told The Namibian that the plane had taken off from Eros Airport with Midgard Lodge as its intended destination.Midgard is about 70 kilometres northeast of the city.The occupants – according to first reports both were male – died at the scene.Nengola could not say if the plane had crashed because of a sudden loss of power after take-off.This is one of the possibilities that would be investigated as part of a probe by the Directorate of Aircraft Accident Investigations into the incident, he indicated.A Namibia Airports Company spokesperson, Sikongo Haihambo, said during a media briefing at the airport last night that the aircraft had taken off from Eros at 17h48.At 17h50 an emergency alert was radioed to the airport to report that the plane was experiencing difficulties, he said.He added that the names of the occupants could not be released yet, as their next of kin still had to be informed of their deaths.A witness at the crash scene related earlier that he was sitting in his office near the airport when he heard the plane taking off and sounding as if its engine was having trouble running at power.He looked outside and saw the plane turning – as if heading back to the airport – before it nose-dived straight to the ground.Reporting by Werner Menges, Denver Isaacs and Tanja Bause.According to aircraft accident investigator Ericsson Nengola both occupants of the plane were fatally injured.The plane came down amongst thorn bushes close to the Trade Centre shopping complex on the eastern side of the main road leading out of Windhoek to Rehoboth.Nengola told The Namibian that the plane had taken off from Eros Airport with Midgard Lodge as its intended destination.Midgard is about 70 kilometres northeast of the city. The occupants – according to first reports both were male – died at the scene.Nengola could not say if the plane had crashed because of a sudden loss of power after take-off.This is one of the possibilities that would be investigated as part of a probe by the Directorate of Aircraft Accident Investigations into the incident, he indicated.A Namibia Airports Company spokesperson, Sikongo Haihambo, said during a media briefing at the airport last night that the aircraft had taken off from Eros at 17h48.At 17h50 an emergency alert was radioed to the airport to report that the plane was experiencing difficulties, he said.He added that the names of the occupants could not be released yet, as their next of kin still had to be informed of their deaths.A witness at the crash scene related earlier that he was sitting in his office near the airport when he heard the plane taking off and sounding as if its engine was having trouble running at power.He looked outside and saw the plane turning – as if heading back to the airport – before it nose-dived straight to the ground.Reporting by Werner Menges, Denver Isaacs and Tanja Bause.