Rudolf Gaiseb
A preliminary report from the Directorate of Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigations (DAAII) on the crash of the Reims-Cessna F172F near Aus settlement in the //Kharas region on 29 March 2026 reveals the pilot had a valid licence.
It says the licence of Saneke Bernhard (61), a German national, had an expiry date of 31 October 2026. He also had valid class 2 medicals with expiry dates of 14 October 2026.
Moreover, at the time of the accident, he had flown more than 8000 hours as an airline pilot and 3000 hours in general aviation.
The passenger, a 51-year-old German citizen, Carmen Spetzinger, succumbed to her injuries, while Bernhard sustained severe injuries.
DAAII acting director Ben Engelbrecht released the report recently, which states that the aircraft document folder was not found in the aircraft wreckage but more information about the aircraft will be discussed in the final report.
Meanwhile, further investigations into the accident are ongoing.
It is reported that an eyewitness, a passenger in a vehicle on the B4 road travelling to Lüderitz, saw the aircraft suddenly going down and crashing.
The eyewitness then rushed to the aircraft to offer assistance.
“According to the eyewitness who was a medical doctor, she gave the pilot and passenger Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), an emergency lifesaving procedure, while waiting for the medical team to arrive with an ambulance, which was contacted by police officers earlier,” the report reads. When the ambulance arrived, the two injured people were transported to the hospital.
However, the female passenger succumbed to her injuries upon arrival at the hospital.
It was a private flight at a low-level altitude on the route to Lüderitz airport from Vogelstraussclift around 09h00 UTC on 29 March 2026. The aircraft was a German-registered D-EGZE.
According to the record, no flight plan was filed for the private flight.
Damages
It is reported that the aircraft collided with a power line and was substantially damaged.
“Major damages were visible on the wings, the cabin (deformed) and the nose section,” the report states.
The wooden propeller blades were destroyed; some debris were found a few meters from the wreckage.
Two months ago, another small aircraft crashed at Okahao airfield in the Omusati region. In this specific crash, the 63-year-old pilot who is said to be a medical doctor, sustained minor injuries, while his wife, who was the passenger, sustained serious injuries.