Rescue workers are in the process of removing the bodies of former cricket captain Hansie Cronje and two pilots from a mountain range where a plane crashed near George, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said on Sunday.
CAA representative Trevor Davids said the rescue team was being assisted by the SA Air Force.
He said CAA accident investigators were also on the scene to determine the probable cause of the crash. After this they would interview witnesses, air traffic control and other relevant parties.
The probe would then focus on the aircraft, crew and operator records, autopsy reports, mechanical investigation where necessary, and an operational analysis to develop a holistic picture of the accident.
The names of the pilot and co-pilot would be released once their next of kin had positively identified them.
The Sunday Times reports that when rescuers arrived on the scene on Saturday his body was still strapped in his seat.
Cronje had boarded the cargo plane with pilot friends after hail on Friday afternoon had led to the cancellation of his scheduled flight from Johannesburg International, the newspaper said.
The Hawker Siddeley 748 twin-prop aircraft, flying in overcast conditions, crashed into the mountains north of George behind Cradock Peak. The right-hand wing was ripped off and caught fire while one of the two engines was also torn off in the impact, the Cape Argus reported.
The second pilot had been thrown out and was lying to the right of the aircraft. There were no other occupants.
The aircraft was unable to land on schedule at the George airport at 6.45am because of bad weather and it appears that the pilot attempted to circle the runway but hit the mountain, the Argus said.
The Sunday Times interviewed Nico Strydom, a paramedic who was in charge of the rescue operation.
Strydom said the aircraft had been hanging from a cliff, which had made the rescue more difficult.
”We could not land our helicopter and had to be roped down. We managed to put the bodies in body bags and on stretchers, but we’ll pick them up on Sunday early in the morning,” the newspaper quoted Strydom as saying.
The Argus spoke to Kobus Crause of Mossel Bay Helicopters, who was contacted by the Aeronautical Rescue Co-Ordination Centre in Johannesburg to search for the aircraft when it failed to land at its allotted time at George.
”We spotted the aircraft about 11am. I was lowered to the ground and immediately tried to find survivors. I found the body of one person outside the aircraft. The other two were still strapped in.
”When I turned the one body over I immediately recognised Hansie. It was a terrible shock. All three were dead. I looked for Hansie’s pulse, but there was no sign of life. I felt his forehead and it was icy cold. I used my cellphone to notify the George airport control tower,” he told the newspaper. – Sapa, Staff reporter