'It only happens to other people'
2008-10-07 08:04
Henry Cloete, Buks Viljoen and Naranda Nell
Nelspruit - "You think it's something that only happens to other people."
So said Jansie Nel, 76, on Monday, trying to verbalise her pain and shock after hearing that her daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren had died in a plane crash in Mpumalanga.
A holiday in Inhambane, Mozambique, ended tragically when two Bloemfontein couples and their children were killed as the aircraft they were travelling in crashed into a mountain outside Nelspruit.
The accident happened shortly after the Britten-Norman Islander had taken off from KMIA (Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport) en-route to Bloemfontein.
The 21-year-old pilot, Nico Nel, an instructor at Westline Aviation in Bloemfontein, was also killed in the accident.
Charred bodies
The passengers were Craig Grant, 44, a lawyer, his wife Tracy, 39, a nurse, and their children Cameron, 13, and Samantha, 11, and Glen Coward, 42, a businessman and head of the CNS Group, his wife Helena, 45, and their children Davydd, 13, and Richard, 11.
Helena Coward was Jansie Nel's daughter. The plane belonged to Glen Coward who was friends with Craig Grant.
The aircraft had cut a swathe through a blue gum plantation before catching fire. Apart from parts of the wings that could be identified, everything else was destroyed in the blaze.
The bodies of the occupants were charred. Two of the bodies lay next to the wreckage.
Shortly after the plane was found, thick mist moved in again. Rescue workers carried the bodies up the steep slopes to the top of the mountain.
Terrible premonition
Mike van Schalkwyk told Beeld at the scene of the accident on Monday that he was the last person to see the aircraft before the crash. He had noticed it flying about 200m above his Barberton Valley home on Sunday.
"I felt I wanted to push the plane up with my hands to prevent it from falling. I have never felt so powerless.
"There didn't seem to be anything wrong with it. Both engines were turning normally, but it was flying too low.
"When it passed overhead, I just knew an accident was inevitable."
The aircraft struck the mountain about 50m below the peak.
Search operations were severely hampered by thick mist and foul weather. Ground patrol teams combed sections of the surrounding plantations, but to no avail.
'It won't always be this hard'
By about 12:00, when the mist dissipated somewhat, four helicopters joined the search. The plane wreck was found within two hours.
Nel, who has been bedridden for years, and her husband, Gideon, live with the Cowards. On Monday she was holding a small, round stone tightly in her hand.
"Davydd gave me this stone. He said: 'Granny, when times are hard, just hold on to this stone, because it won't always be bad '.
"The last time we heard from Helena was on Sunday when they were in Nelspruit. She said they were quickly going to get a bite to eat before taking off.
"She told my husband that they had had the most amazing holiday and that she would tell us all about it when they get back."
Police spokesperson Superintendent Abie Khoabane said the Civil Aviation Authority would start investigating the accident on Tuesday.