Impala jets wings clipped

2003-11-17 19:10

Riot Hlatshwayo and Justin Arenstein

Nelspruit - All South African Air Force (SAAF) Impala MKI fighter jets have been grounded pending investigations into the cause of the crash which claimed the lives of two pilots last week.

Impala MKII jets have also been grounded until Wednesday, when it will be decided whether to resume flights or not, said national SAAF spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Frans Schoombee on Monday.

"None of the Impala fighter jets are flying at the moment and in two days time a decision will be made on whether to continue using the jets or not," he said.

The wreckage of the two-seater Impala fighter that plunged into the Crocodile Gorge, on the verge of the busy N4-highway near Nelspruit last Wednesday, has been taken to Pretoria for tests.

The accident last week claimed the lives of flight instructor Lieutenant Paul Andrew Martin, 28, and co-pilot Lt Gert Willem Diederick Duvenhage, 22.

A joint SAAF and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) board of inquiry is probing the accident.

Lt Martin was a flight instructor at the 85th Combat Flying School at Hoedspruit Air Force Base, while Lt Duvenhage was a student who signed up for advanced training just three months ago.

They were on a low-level tactical navigation training exercise at the time of the crash, reportedly flying from beacon to beacon on a mountainous route around Komatipoort.

The crash is the fourth accident including the Italian-designed Impala fighters since 1999.

At least one other, which claimed the life of Captain Brett Burmeister in April 2002, was involved in low-level tactical navigation exercises when it crashed.

The Impala fighters, which were bought as a light attack aircraft for the SAAF in the early 1960s, are being phased out for replacement in 2005 by British Aerospace's Hawk jet fighters.

- African Eye