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A member of the local farm watch busy extinguishing the burning remains after the pilot had to crash land it short after taking off.

Pilot escapes death after crash landing small plane

Date: 25 June 2015 By: Isabel Venter

A small aircraft's pilot escaped unharmed after his aeroplane crashed and burnt out shortly after takeoff.

Details of what had led up to the aeroplane’s crash landing last Thursday, 18 June, are still unclear, however. 

As far as the newspaper could determine, pilot Egmont van Dijk was on his way to Tzaneen. He is employed as a fire spotter by Working with Fire, a government job-creation initiative. Van Dijk took off shortly after 16:00, but did not get far.

It is believed that Van Dijk made an emergency landing and managed to jump out before the plane burst into flames. He landed in an open, cut plantation near Steve Lumber Mills along the Witvlag road.

The Kishugu group, which operates all Working with Fire’s aircraft and manages their commercial operation, confirmed last week that Van Dijk was unharmed. A spokesperson for the company, Ms Naranda Leeuwner, could only confirm that the crash is being probed by the Civil Aviation Authority.

She declined to provide any further details, despite several requests. Van Dijk also declined to speak to the newspaper when asked for more information. 

 
 
 

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Isabel Venter

Isabel joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in 2009 as a reporter. She holds a BA Degree in Communication Sciences from the University of South Africa. Her beat is mainly crime and court reporting.

 
 

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