/ 14 April 2000

AIR FORCE PILOT DIES IN CRASH

A SOUTH African Air Force pilot was killed and three soldiers were injured when they were forced to land in Mozambican on Thursday. The names of the pilot and the injured soldiers have not been released, until their next of kin have been informed. SAAF spokesman Major Louis Kirstein said the soldiers were conducting a scheduled patrol of the border and had to land on the Mozambican side about 56km south of Komatipoort. He said the pilot was killed instantly. One soldier was critically injured and the two others were seriously injured. The injured were airlifted to 1 Military Hospital in Pretoria where they are in a stable condition.