Tourists survive emergency landing

FIVE Italian tourists and a Namibian pilot narrowly escaped death yesterday when their single engine aircraft crash-landed at Enkono village, near the Ondangwa Airport.

The pilot reportedly had to make an emergency landing because of engine failure. The aircraft, registration V5-JCE, belongs to Scenic Air.It crash-landed at about 07h45 just as it was about to make its descent at Ondangwa Airport.The pilot sustained minor injuries to the face.Villagers at Enkono said they saw the plane come down quickly, with its nose pointed towards the ground.”They were lucky not to have crashed into the well which was nearby,” said one resident.The pilot declined to speak to The Namibian or to provide his name.He referred the reporter to the Scenic Air head office in Windhoek.The owner of Scenic Air, Owen Sivertsen, who flew to Ondangwa after hearing the news of the crash, told The Namibian that the plane was carrying five Italian tourists.He identified the pilot as Oliver Braun.Silvertsen said the aircraft’s engine suddenly lost power before landing at Ondangwa to refuel.It was transporting the tourists to places in and around Etosha Park before proceeding to Kasane in Botswana.The pilot crash-landed in the pan after the engine had failed.”It’s luck.All the five passengers and the pilot survived,” said Sivertsen.The aircraft, registration V5-JCE, belongs to Scenic Air.It crash-landed at about 07h45 just as it was about to make its descent at Ondangwa Airport.The pilot sustained minor injuries to the face.Villagers at Enkono said they saw the plane come down quickly, with its nose pointed towards the ground.”They were lucky not to have crashed into the well which was nearby,” said one resident.The pilot declined to speak to The Namibian or to provide his name.He referred the reporter to the Scenic Air head office in Windhoek.The owner of Scenic Air, Owen Sivertsen, who flew to Ondangwa after hearing the news of the crash, told The Namibian that the plane was carrying five Italian tourists.He identified the pilot as Oliver Braun.Silvertsen said the aircraft’s engine suddenly lost power before landing at Ondangwa to refuel.It was transporting the tourists to places in and around Etosha Park before proceeding to Kasane in Botswana.The pilot crash-landed in the pan after the engine had failed.”It’s luck.All the five passengers and the pilot survived,” said Sivertsen.