Fochville, South Africa: Two people were killed after a Bird Aviation training aircraft crashed near Fochville in South Africa’s Gauteng province on Saturday afternoon, with aviation authorities launching an investigation into the cause of the accident.
Bird Aviation confirmed that one of its aircraft was involved in the accident at approximately 4:00 p.m. local time on June 27. The academy said emergency services responded immediately and the relevant aviation authorities were notified in accordance with regulatory requirements.
In an official media release, the flight school said the circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation and that no additional details can be released until investigators have completed their work.
The academy stated that the families of the aviators had been informed and extended its condolences to those affected by what it described as a devastating loss. Bird Aviation also said it would withhold the identities of the occupants until all required family notifications had been completed and the necessary permissions had been granted.
Local media reports reported that one of the victims was N. Charan Teja, a Telugu trainee pilot from Andhra Pradesh, India, who was undergoing flight training at Bird Aviation in South Africa. The report said Teja had moved to South Africa to pursue his dream of becoming a commercial pilot and was among the two occupants killed in the June 27 crash near Fochville. However, South African authorities and Bird Aviation had not officially confirmed the identities of the victims at the time of publication.
South African emergency response agencies, including ER24, Netcare911 and Gauteng Emergency Medical Services, responded to the crash after the Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre activated its emergency response network. Both occupants of the aircraft were found to have sustained fatal injuries.
Authorities have not yet disclosed the aircraft’s planned route, the circumstances leading to the crash or a possible cause. As of June 29, the identities of the two people killed have not been publicly released. Separately sources indicated that the deceased were Indian nationals; however, Aviation Today has been unable to independently verify their identities at the time of publication.
Following recovery operations, the crash site was handed over to the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA), which has opened an official investigation into the accident.
Bird Aviation said it is fully cooperating with investigators and will continue assisting the relevant authorities, including SACAA, SAPS and the appropriate consulate.
The academy also thanked emergency medical personnel, first responders, law enforcement agencies and aviation authorities for their professionalism and support during the response.
The aircraft involved was a Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee C, registered ZS-ESZ, although investigators have not yet issued an official preliminary report. The investigation remains ongoing.
