Rudolf Gaiseb
Isai Sipunga
Following the crash of its aircraft in Windhoek’s affluent Pioneerspark neighbourhood, aviation company Westair counted its losses through a media statement that sent shockwaves on various social media platforms.
What drew the public’s ire, as could be seen in different exchanges, was the fact that the aviation entity appeared to have valued the loss of its aircraft more than the three people who lost their lives during the crash.
In its initial statement issued on Friday, the company said: “Westair Aviation regrets to confirm a total loss of one of its aircraft, a Cessna 406 registration V5-ASB, shortly after take-off from Eros Airport. This catastrophic event has deeply affected us all. We can confirm that, sadly, the three persons on board this non-commercial flight, all employees of Westair Aviation, did not survive the incident.”
An aviation expert who preferred not to be named due to fear of victimisation was appalled by Westair’s reaction, branding it “insensitive and capitalistic.”.
“The capitalist machine that is Westair was quick to reassure their clients so that they restored confidence by quickly clarifying that this was not a commercial flight, during which statement they highlighted the ‘loss of an aircraft,’ while mentioning the loss of three lives in a somewhat incognito manner,” the expert said.
When questioned by journalists if the company prioritises its aircraft over human life, Elazanne McCulloch, who issued the statement on Westair’s behalf, said: “Please note that ‘total loss of aircraft’ is aviation terminology for a fatal and catastrophic event, and in no way focuses solely on the plane.”
“I implore you to focus on the gravity of the situation at hand. At no point does Westair Aviation minimise the loss of lives during this incident. These individuals were part of the Westair Aviation team and the company, and all colleagues feel this loss deeply and incredibly personally,” she said.
McCulloch continued, as a barrage of questions flew from media practitioners: “As a professional and concise statement to the public, the correct aviation terminology is used to ensure clarity and transparency. The loss of human lives today is at the forefront of it all, and has left the company shaken. Please respect the individuals affected during this difficult time and let us, as journalists, focus on sharing information and not sensationalism.”
On Saturday, Westair issued another statement. “It is with profound sadness that we at Westair address the tragic accident that occurred near Eros Airport in Windhoek on 3 May 2024. During this terrible incident involving a Westair non-commercial flight, we lost three cherished members of our team. Yesterday’s [Friday] events have left us all devastated. Following due process, the company can now publicly confirm with heavy hearts the loss of our valued team members and friends: Rozanne De Beer-Olivier (age 33—pilot who joined Westair in 2017), Ruan van Schalkwyk (age 24—pilot who joined Westair in 2023), and Andre-Armand Lubbe (age 25 — engineer who joined Westair in 2019). This terrible event has deeply and personally affected us all at Westair, and we share our sincerest condolences with all those impacted by this tragic loss.”
Aviation
Describing the incident, the director of the directorate of accident and incident investigations (DAII) Magnus Abraham said two pilots and a maintenance engineer were on a test flight from Eros airport.
“The crew was on a test flight from Eros airport. As they took off from the airport, they started experiencing mechanical problems and attempted to return to the field, but unfortunately, they could not make it back to the field,” Abraham said.
The aircraft crashed between two houses. However, no one on the ground was injured.
In the wake of the tragedy, emergency responders from the City of Windhoek’s fire and rescue department sprang into action, battling the ensuing blaze and preventing further destruction. Their swift and coordinated efforts were crucial in containing the fire and mitigating potential harm to nearby
properties.
However, the crash destroyed the residential property, whose value is still to be confirmed.
Investigations are underway by the DAII and partners to uncover the mystery behind the crash. On their part, the executive director of the Namibia Civil Aviation Authority, Toska Sem, expressed condolences, and gave assurances to work closely with DAII and American investigators.
“We will work with the investigators to provide them the necessary support to conduct a thorough and independent investigation to determine the circumstances that led to this particular accident,” Sem said.
She added: “Our role as a regulator is to ensure that all service providers are certified in line with the provisions of the NCAA, be it an aircraft that is in the airspace. They are requested to be certified in terms of flight operations; the pilots that are in command of the aircraft also go through a rigorous process to earn their pilot licences. Therefore, it is unfortunate that the accident had to occur.”
Terrorised
Yesterday, New Era visited the neighbourhood in which the fatal crash occurred.
A resident of the house in which the plane crashed described the horrific day when a Westair Cessna 406 crashed in the Pioneerspark residential area in Windhoek, killing two pilots and a mechanical engineer around 17h00 on Friday.
The resident was terrified, and was still to come to terms with the horror.
“I was in the bathroom, and my little one was watching television, and then I heard the plane coming. It was so loud; I knew something was not right, and it was coming down. I ran to the sitting room to grab my son, and the next thing I heard was the crash. I said, ‘We have to get out of here; the plane just crashed’.’ Terrified that the cars would explode, we ran to the neighbour’s house,” said one of the witnesses.
The witness continued: “We took our dogs along, and fled the horrific site into the neighbour’s yard through the small gate on the boundary wall, and with the help of the neighbours, we got to safety. We stood and looked over from the kitchen door at the neighbours; we could just see the Mercedes Benz vehicle burning and the fire in front of the house. We knew there was no way getting back out there, and we stayed until it was safe for us to come out.”
The resident, who chose to remain anonymous, said they are just tenants renting the house, and that day she was only with her son at home when the tragedy struck.
A neighbour who chose to remain anonymous said he is concerned about the response of the emergency services in such dreadful times.
“The fire department could not extinguish the fire at first because they could not open the fire taps in the street, and Namibia Airports Company (NAC) vehicles ran out of water. When the truck with water came, the water was wasted on the street instead of putting out the fire. Finally, they directed the pipes to the fire, but again, they ran out of water. The emergency fire extinguishers from the municipality arrived on the scene but were far off due to the blockage by cars and people. However, the fire dissipated,” the resident said.
–rrgaiseb@gmail.com