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Aug 28, 2025
Search for Missing Pilot Resumes After Durban Airshow Crash
By GlobalZa
The search for a missing 61-year-old pilot has resumed off Battery Beach, Durban, after his light aircraft plunged into the sea during an aviation summit display.
Search for Missing Pilot Resumes After Durban Airshow Tragedy
The search for a missing pilot has resumed off Battery Beach in Durban, a day after a light aircraft plunged into the sea during an aerial display linked to an aviation summit.
The incident occurred yesterday afternoon during the Next Generation of Aviation Professionals Summit, an event aimed at encouraging high school learners to consider careers in aviation. Spectators, including many children, initially believed the crash was part of the aerobatic show before realising the aircraft had gone down.
Authorities have confirmed that the missing pilot is a 61-year-old man from Johannesburg, who was flying the aircraft alone at the time of the crash. His identity has not yet been officially released.
Parts of the wreckage were recovered yesterday by search teams, but efforts to locate the pilot were halted before dusk due to poor visibility and high tides. Multiple agencies were involved in the search, including the SAPS, the Durban Metro Police’s Search and Rescue Unit, and the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI).
Search operations resumed at 8am this morning. Authorities are yet to confirm whether the mission is still being treated as a search and rescue or has shifted to a search and recovery operation.
The cause of the crash has not been determined. Investigators are expected to examine the recovered wreckage as part of the probe.
The tragedy has cast a shadow over the aviation summit, which had been designed to inspire young people but instead ended in shock and sorrow for those who witnessed the accident from the beachfront.
