What happened
On the morning of 10 October 2025, a Piper PA28-140 Cherokee, registration ZS-FTS, was engaged in a private flight for the purpose of accumulating pilot hours. The flight originated from Rustenburg Airport (FARG) after a scheduled refueling stop, with the intended route leading to Lanseria International Airport (FALA) via Pilanesberg International Airport (FAPN).
Following a successful touch-and-go landing on Runway 23 at FAPN, the aircraft began its climb-out. However, witnesses at the airfield reported hearing an unusual noise from the engine and observed the aircraft struggling to maintain altitude. As the aircraft executed a 180-degree right turn, it appeared unstable. Shortly after, the aircraft descended toward the border of the Predator World wildlife sanctuary, approximately 1.6 kilometres south of the airport.
An eyewitness near the sanctuary observed the aircraft at roughly 500 feet above ground level, noting that the engine was spluttering. The aircraft subsequently struck a tree and was immediately consumed by a post-impact fire. While responders from the wildlife sanctuary and local fire services managed to extricate the occupants, the pilot was fatally injured, and the passenger sustained serious burn injuries.