Pilot's 'incompetence' probed

2005-04-11 16:11

Johannesburg - Allegations about the competence of a trainee pilot who died in an aircraft crash at the weekend were part of the inquiry into the matter, the SA Air Force said on Monday.

SAAF spokesperson Captain Ronald Maseko was reacting to the Beeld newspaper asking who would accept responsibility for the trainee pilot's death on Saturday during a solo navigation training flight.

The paper said Oupa Jean-Claude Ramaiti, 24, of Pretoria was undergoing his flying course for a second time, having earlier failed a solo control flight and an instrument flight test.

Ramaiti was then offered a second chance, although it was understood that his instructors thought his performance was still not satisfactory.

Representivity and transformation

Ramaiti was one of four trainee pilots from the air force's Central Flying School at Langebaanweg sent to Bloemfontein last week for navigation training. His aircraft crashed near Lichtenburg in the North West province.

They were expected to receive their wings in June. They only had to complete their formation-flight training.

Aviation experts cautioned as long ago as last year that quality and flight safety should not be jeopardised for the sake of representivity and transformation.

Another repeat-failure trainee tried in 2003 to land without lowering his aircraft's wheels. The Astra was badly damaged, but the student was not injured.

Racist instructors

After the incident Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota implied that racist instructors could be the real problem.

Asked on Monday after the outcome of the board of inquiry into that accident, Maseko said it was not yet finalised.

Asked why the procedure was taking so long, Maseko said their outcomes had the potential to be career-ending, meaning they had to be thorough.

Zimbabwean trainers

The chief of the air force, Lt General Carlo Gagiano, recently said four or five instructors from the Zimbabwean air force would soon be helping train South African pilots.

It was being asked in aviation circles whether they would be qualified to do so, as none had ever flown the Astra, which is only used by South Africa, and none were qualified as instructors on the aircraft - a prerequisite for teaching.

Lekota and the chief of the SANDF, General Siphiwe Nyanda, and the air force extended their condolences to Ramaiti's family and friends at the weekend.

- SAPA