What happened
On the morning of 12 December 1999, a PA32-300 departed Kimberley on a private flight destined for Plettenberg Bay. The aircraft, registered ZS-NAR, was carrying the pilot and two passengers. As the flight approached its destination, the area was experiencing heavy fog and extremely low visibility, with cloud cover reported at treetop height.
During the approach, the pilot was in radio contact with air traffic services and an unidentified person on the ground. Witnesses near the aerodrome observed the aircraft flying at a very low altitude in a steep right-hand bank, narrowly avoiding a residential structure. The aircraft subsequently struck high-tension conductors, which caused visible sparks and a loud impact. Following the collision with the wires, the aircraft pitched up before descending into a nose-down attitude, impacting the ground approximately 0.5 NM from the initial contact point. The impact and subsequent intense fire destroyed the aircraft and resulted in 3 fatalities.