2 SAAF PILOTS DIE AFTER EJECTING FROM DOOMED JET.
Two SA Air Force pilots died near Nelspruit on Wednesday after ejecting from their Impala fighter aircraft because of an apparent engine failure, Mpumalanga police reported.
One of the pilots was killed when he parachuted into a moving truck on the N4 highway between Nelspruit and Komatipoort, said police spokesman Captain Benjamin Bhembe.
The second one did not survive his landing by parachute on a rocky patch near the highway.
The SA National Defence Force confirmed the crash and the death of the two pilots. It said the Impala was on a low-level navigation flight.
The military provided no further details, saying a board of inquiry had been convened the investigate the accident.
Bhembe said the Impala jet appeared to have been flying more or less above the highway about 30km from Nelspruit.
"It apparently developed engine trouble and the two pilots used their ejector seats," Bhembe said
"The one who parachuted into the truck hit the windscreen of the vehicle before landing on the back. He apparently died on impact."
The glass of the windscreen cracked, slightly injuring the passenger in the truck.
Bhembe said the wreck of the aircraft was lying about 10 metres from the road.
The SANDF extended its condolences to the family of the two pilots, whose names would only be released after their next-of-kin had been informed.
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12 Novembre 2003 à 13:18 dans
- zsandf (anglais)
