Plane lands in road

A LIGHT aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing on the main road between Windhoek and Gobabis on Thursday night, after bad weather conditions combined with engine trouble.

The Bay Air-owned Beechcraft B1900, with 17 people on board, had originally been on a flight from Walvis Bay to Eros Airport in Windhoek. Heavy rains made the scheduled landing impossible, prompting pilot Elize Meyer to reroute to the Hosea Kutako International Airport outside Windhoek.The plane circled the air above Hosea Kutako for nearly an hour, as it waited in line with seven other aircraft for a chance to land.It appears that during this time the pilot experienced engine trouble, and requested permission to execute an emergency landing on the B6 road.The road was cleared and she successfully landed in the stormy weather.Bay Air Director Clifford Strydom said on Friday that an investigation had been launched into the incident, and no more information could be made public before its conclusion.Heavy rains made the scheduled landing impossible, prompting pilot Elize Meyer to reroute to the Hosea Kutako International Airport outside Windhoek.The plane circled the air above Hosea Kutako for nearly an hour, as it waited in line with seven other aircraft for a chance to land.It appears that during this time the pilot experienced engine trouble, and requested permission to execute an emergency landing on the B6 road.The road was cleared and she successfully landed in the stormy weather.Bay Air Director Clifford Strydom said on Friday that an investigation had been launched into the incident, and no more information could be made public before its conclusion.