/ 17 December 2001

TWO MEN DIE IN MICROLIGHT CRASH

Two sons of two prominent Tweefontein farmers were killed when their microlight crashed on Thursday evening, Pretoria police said. Inspector Percy Morokane said the cause of the accident, which occurred around 6.30pm, was not known. ”They were flying over one of the farms when the microlight crashed. The two men in their early 20s died on impact.” Earlier in the day a pilot skilfully landed his microlight on the back of a moving horse and trailer truck travelling on the N3 highway near Mooi River in KwaZulu-Natal after the aircraft’s engine failed. KwaZulu-Natal Road Traffic Inspectorate representative Vijen Murugan said the pilot increased altitude to clear a power line when the engine failed. He then landed the microlight on the truck without the driver’s knowledge. ”A gush of wind then swept the microlight off the truck onto an embankment,” Murugan said. A cameraman, who was also in the microlight, broke his leg and was admitted to a local hospital. The pilot was not injured. Murugan described the incident as ”something that you see in a James Bond movie”. – Sapa