Supplied
The South African Police Service has identified the officer who was one of five people who died when a SAPS light aircraft crashed at Rand Airport in Germiston on Tuesday.
He was Warrant Officer Willem Erasmus, a SAPS airborne law enforcement officer with 29 years of service.
The other crash victims were said to be technicians from a company contracted to service and maintain SAPS helicopters.
“The sole survivor of the crash, a senior pilot with 16 years of service, Captain Casper Swanepoel sustained serious injuries and is currently receiving medical care in hospital,” said national spokesperson, Colonel Athlenda Mathe.
She said according to a preliminary report the Pilatus Porter PC 6 crashed shortly after taking off at 14:30 on Tuesday.
SAPS management met with the families of the two members and the representatives of the company where the other deceased were employed on Wednesday.
The Acting National Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Tebello Mosikili said the tragedy happened on the eve of the SAPS annual National Commemoration Day, where 33 officers and reservists who died in the line of duty in the 2021/2022 financial year will be honoured.
He said SAPS also established a Board of Inquiry to investigate the cause of the accident.
