What happened
During a scheduled skydiving operation departing from Hoogevan Airport, a twin-engine aircraft encountered a critical mechanical failure. While the flight was maintaining an altitude of 8,000 feet, the aircraft suffered a simultaneous failure of both engines.
Upon the loss of power, the crew instructed the skydivers on board to exit the aircraft. The pilots then attempted to navigate the plane back toward the airfield to perform an emergency landing. During the final approach, the crew determined that the aircraft lacked sufficient altitude and energy to reach the runway. Consequently, the plane impacted a potato field situated approximately 500 metres before the threshold of the runway.
Findings
- The aircraft sustained damage that rendered it a total loss.
- There were zero fatalities and zero injuries reported among the crew members, who both managed to exit the wreckage safely.