Dakota 'shouldn't have flown in bad weather'
2012-12-07 09:41
Pietermaritzburg - The SA Air Force Dakota that crashed in
the Drakensberg on Wednesday was not equipped to fly in bad weather conditions,
a civilian Dakota pilot says.
The wreckage of the C-47TP-Dakota was found near Giant’s
Castle on Thursday. All 11 on board were killed.
Pilot Chris Briers, who has extensive experience with
Dakotas, told Beeld the flight must have been a nightmare.
"Dakotas are not pressurised, so they can’t fly as high
as planes that are. They fly at a limit of about 12 000 feet, and the
Drakensberg is 11 000 feet.
Little room for error
“That leaves very little room for error. Something must have
gone horribly wrong. From the last radio contact you can deduct that their
sight was nil and they only had the plane’s instruments to help them. The fact
is, they should never have been there in those conditions,” he said.
“In a thunderstorm, ice on the wings and turbulence are the
biggest problems in a Dakota. The ice makes the plane heavy and unresponsive.
It also struggles to maintain or reach heights.”
He explained that there could be nasty surprises during a
storm, like hail that could smash the windscreen.
Pilots are safety conscious and wouldn't have taken
unnecessary risks, he added.
There was initial speculation that former president Nelson
Mandela's medical team may have been on board the doomed plane. This was
denied, but a consignment of medicine was believed to have been on board, and
this may be the reason the plane flew. The SANDF later denied that Mandela's medicine was on board.
The five passengers on board were a relief team to replace
the security personnel guarding the Mthatha Airport.
