RUNDU – A microlight landed on its roof after its engine was fuel-starved and a trainee pilot tried to crash-land the aircraft at Nakazaza near Rundu.
The incident occurred 5km west of Rundu on Sunday morning on the western outskirts of Rundu at around 11am. The trainee pilot flying the two-seater was 67-year-old Mathew Hoffman. He was flying solo and survived the crash.
The blue single-engine has the registration number V5-UJM and the words “Anti Poaching” inscribed on its fuselage.
Sources said the trainee pilot tried an emergency landing, which was almost a success until the aircraft hit some rocks and flipped over on its roof.
The trainee pilot was said to have been flying for over two hours of the 10 hours he needed to qualify for his micro-aircraft pilot certificate, to allow further training.
According to his instructor the trainee pilot attended flight classes for the past two weeks and Sunday was his practice session to fly alone.
“He flew this morning alone for sometime and then he went around a little later again – by then he was already flying for more than an hour. He checked the fuel and had about three quarters of an hour left, which is 45 minutes. He reported that he was going around for the last time, just a big circle,” said the micro-light flight trainer Dirk Oelofse.
According to Oelofse the trainee pilot then reported that there was a bit of turbulence which caused the microlight to shake and shudder.
“It might have sucked in some air and that made the engine die because there was some fuel in the tank but no fuel in the engine – that’s what we suspect. Pilot-wise he did all he could as he was taught for emergency landing and this had nothing to do with the pilot’s capability, the fuel ran out, he tried his best but the stones were in his way,” said Oelofse of the Rundu Flying School.
By John Muyamba