A 44-year-old pilot who died in a light aircraft crash in the Krugersdorp Game Reserve on Tuesday had requested to make an emergency landing at Lanseria Airport, Gauteng police said on Wednesday.
Captain Jacob Raboroko said that the pilot, Trevor Emmanuel, was flying from Durban to an unknown destination when his aircraft ran low on fuel.
Emmanuel requested permission to land at Lanseria to refuel but was denied permission because there was no available space.
Police suspected that Emmanuel had wanted to make an emergency landing on a road but ran out of fuel before he reached it.
His aeroplane crashed in a rocky field in the Krugersdorp Game Reserve.
Emmanuel was declared dead on the scene.
The aircraft did not burn as there was no fuel in its tanks.
An inquest docket opened by police had been taken over by the Civil Aviation Authority for further investigation, said Raboroko. — Sapa