Good Show SAAF

In the early evening of 7 October 2005, a Cessna 172, piloted by African Pilot editor, Mr Athol Franz, was en-route from Johannesburg to Louis Trichardt civil airfield to attend the Fighter Meet on the following day. A young lady passenger, also involved in the aviation publication field, was also on-board.
In rapidly deteriorating light and weather, the pilot, maintaining Visual Flight Rules, was informed by Makhado Approach Control that the weather at civil was out of limits and suggested that the aircraft divert to Polokwane where the weather was more suitable. The pilot turned the aircraft east to set heading for Polokwane but during the turn, entered a low mist bank. To his horror, the radar controller noted the sudden disappearance of the aircraft plot from the radar and also received an emergency signal from the emergency locator beacon - the controller realised that the aircraft had crashed.
Expecting the worst, the emergency teams at AFB Makhado were scrambled through the Command Post and fortunately, a 19 Squadron Oryx, tasked to ‘babysit’ the fighter pilots at the next day’s display, was available to be scrambled to the last radar position with the AFB Makhado medical emergency response team on-board. In the mean time, 515 Sqn Reaction Force moved out by road with the Aircraft Accident Investigation Team to assist in the ground search. Time is obviously vital to saving of lives following an accident.
Within one and a half hours, and in total darkness and with low scud clouds in the vicinity, the crashed aircraft was located by 19 Sqn’s Oryx and the pilot and passenger stabilised before being uplifted to Polokwane Hospital for further treatment. It was a miracle that those on-board were not killed in the accident.
Without the co-ordinated search and rescue effort by the SAAF, who knows if those on board may have paid the ultimate price. All agencies responded professionally and calmly thereby enabling the rescue effort to be successfully conducted. WELL DONE TEAM!!!!