What happened
During an aerial demonstration at Cape Town Airport, three aircraft were performing a coordinated flight as part of an airshow. The formation included the Mercurius and two other similar aircraft flying in a V-shaped pattern. After completing a low-altitude pass over the airfield, the group turned toward the west.
Shortly after this maneuver, the entire formation impacted the slope of Devil's Peak, which was obscured by heavy cloud cover. The collision occurred approximately 15 km west of Cape Town Airport. The impact resulted in the total destruction of all three aircraft involved. There were no survivors among the 11 fatalities recorded from the incident.
Findings
Investigations into the accident determined that the primary factor leading to the crash was controlled flight into terrain.