‘Don’t speculate about air ambulance crash’

Transport Minister Dipuo Peters warned that speculation about the cause of the crash would negatively impact on bereaved families.

Cape Town – Transport Minister Dipuo Peters on Monday cautioned against speculation on the cause of Sunday’s crash of an ambulance aircraft, which claimed the lives of five people.

“People ought to act responsibly and acknowledge the loss of lives in this crash,” Peters said in apparent response to reports that the aircraft transporting a patient from Namibia to South Africa was placed in holding pattern as a result of technical glitches with the Air Traffic Navigation Services (ATNS) radar at Cape Town International Airport.

“Distraught and bereaved families of those who regrettably perished want accurate reports on the crash and not sheer speculation aimed causing panic and alarm. We urge the investigation team/s to do everything in their power to get to the bottom of the cause of this accident and report back speedily on their findings.”

The plane crashed in the early hours of Sunday morning killing pilots Steven Naude and Amore Espag, paramedic Alfred Ward, a 80-year old South African patient Gabriel Le Roux and his daughter Charmaine Koortzen.

Shortly after the crash, private ambulance service ER24 said: “It is understood from the Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA) that all aircraft approaching Cape Town International Airport at the time were placed in a holding pattern due to a technical fault with their radars. The E-med Rescue 24 aircraft was also in the holding pattern at the time.”

Peters appealed to people to wait for investigators to complete their probe.

“The department’s Accident and Incident Investigation team has already been to the scene to conduct investigations and we are also in contact with the Namibian authorities on the matter,” said Peters.

ANA