MPUMALANGA PLANE CRASH: One person was killed and another injured in a light aircraft crash in the Free State. The aircraft crashed in a grassy area on Bram Fischer International Airport property and caught fire. In a separate incident, a passenger died while waiting to board a flight in Johannesburg. One person died, while another was injured after a light aircraft crashed on the airfield at Bram Fischer International Airport in Bloemfontein on Saturday. According to Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), the aircraft – believed to be a Piper – crashed in a grassy area on the airfield and caught fire at about 09:20. When the airport fire and rescue team and paramedics arrived at the scene, they extinguished the flames and administered first aid to the victims. “Despite rescuers’ best efforts, one of the plane’s occupants was unfortunately declared dead at the scene. The other one was taken to hospital with severe injuries,” ACSA said in a statement. ACSA added that the cause of the crash will be investigated by the relevant authorities. Meanwhile, in a separate incident, a passenger died at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg after suffering a medical emergency on Saturday. The passenger succumbed in the Bidvest domestic lounge while waiting to board a flight to George, in the Western Cape, shortly before noon. ACSA said that the cause of death has yet to be determined and further details will be released as they become available Chikunga said all accidents that warranted investigation were categorised and a final report published on the SACAA’s website. “In almost all cases the pilot and the owner/operator provide information on a questionnaire. Accident and Incident Investigations Divisions to assess the level of response required and determine the scope of the investigation.” The causal factors of the accidents included hard landing, error in judgement with respect to landing, distance or height, lost directional or longitudinal control at take-off or landing, disregard for standard, safe and regulatory operating procedures, failing to maintain flying speed and failure to extend landing gear, among others. Chikunga said the responsibility to reduce the number of accidents in general aviation was not the sole responsibility of the SACAA but of the industry that was required to comply with the standards set by the regulator. “The regulator develops regulations, technical standards and guidance material to assist the industry to comply. At appropriate times and where negligence and non-compliance are evident, the regulator takes enforcement actions against those affected operators and licence holders.” She also said in addition to safety recommendations issued by investigators to relevant operators and parties, SACAA has developed a General Aviation Safety Strategy (GASS) with industry to reduce the number of accidents in the general aviation sector where accidents were prevalent. “The solutions and activities undertaken by the Regulator and industry include developing educational guidance material to address the most pressing and common causes of accidents as informed by the investigation reports, publishing articles in a special publication developed for this purpose and undertaking a number of safety awareness and promotion events such as seminars, workshops, etc. with industry.” Chikunga noted that there was a reduction in the number of accidents in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 financial years. “The efforts of the GASS are bearing positive results for example, there has been a reduction in the number of accidents country-wide by 15% and a reduction of 25% in fatal accidents as well as a 29% reduction in fatalities meaning that fewer people perished as a result of aircraft accidents in the general aviation sector in the past financial year,” she said. ll airplane crashes that happened since January 1st 2000 and matching all the following criteria are part of this database: The accident involves at least one public transport airplane. A flight is considered as public transport when it carries, from point A to point B, passengers or cargo for commercial purposes. Public transport operators must hold a national air operator’s certificate and an operating licence. The accident involves at least one airplane having a maximum take off weight equal or more than 12,000 lb (5,7 tons). This corresponds to the definition of a large aeroplane in the sense of the civil aviation regulation. Airplanes in this category comply with more stringent regulations. The accident resulted in a hull loss of at least one public transport airplane. Hull loss means the airplane is damage beyond repairs. A few events in that database don’t match with those criteria, such as relevant events of flight tests aircraft, or military transport planes. .