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Aerobatic pilot killed in crash
29/06/2007 23:27 - (SA)
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| This picture of Mark Beckley's Boeing Stearman was taken hours before he died in
a crash while practicing for the Tzaneen air show. (Frans Dely)
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Marietie Louw-Carstens, Beeld
Tzaneen - A Johannesburg aerobatic pilot died on Friday night after his Boeing-Stearman crashed outside Tzaneen.
Mark Beckley, 50, had been practicing for the 10th annual air show at the town when the plane came down.
He was rushed to a local hospital before being transferred by helicopter to Limpopo-Medi-Clinic in Polokwane.
Beckley died soon after his arrival, says clinic spokesperson Elsabe Muller.
The plane which crashed is usually used for stunt flying.
One of the show's organisers, Frans Dely, told Beeld the plane's engine had come loose and fallen out as Beckley was coming in to land. He said the plane had crashed on a farm nearby. Show will go ahead
Another organiser, Eddie Vorster, said Saturday's air show would go ahead, despite Beckley's death.
Beckley owned several planes, which he stored at the Rand Airport. He was the owner of Sky Raiders, a company which offers extreme flips.
According to the company's website, the 1941 Boeing Stearman was used as a trainer during WW2.
In 1957, the 220hp engine was replaced with the present 450hp supercharged Pratt and Whitney and saw service as a crop sprayer until 1972. The Stearman was "discovered" in 1997, and an extensive ground-up rebuild took place in Colorado, USA.
Nicknamed "Huffin Puffin", this magnificent example is a regular crowd pleaser on the air show circuit.
- Beeld
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