/ 30 June 2007

Pilot airlifted to hospital after crashing into tree

A pilot had to be airlifted to hospital by helicopter on Friday afternoon after he crashed his light aircraft into a tree outside Tzaneen, said Limpopo police.

Superintendent Ronel Otto said the pilot was practising for an annual air show in Tzaneen on Saturday when he developed problems with the plane.

It hit a tree in Letsitele, outside Tzaneen, and then fell to the ground. The pilot sustained multiple injuries.

Otto did not know whether he had been airlifted to a local hospital or taken to a facility in Pretoria. His condition was unknown.

She said the man’s name and age were also not yet known. However, it had been established that he was from Gauteng. — Sapa