Terrifying footage shows plane crash that left Qantas pilots fighting for life
Terrifying footage has emerged of the moment a vintage plane dropped from the sky and crashed in South Africa, killing two people and leaving two Qantas pilots fighting for their lives.
The pilots were among 19 people travelling on board the 1954 era Convair CV-340 aircraft on July 10 when it got into trouble during take-off from Wonderboom Airport in Pretoria.
Video obtained by news.com.au was filmed by a passenger sitting on the left side of the plane and shows the aircraft hurtling to the ground amid panicked shouts onboard.
“It’s getting worse … it’s getting bad. This is getting very bad,” the passenger filming says as flames shoot from the plane’s engine.
The man begins speaking Afrikaans to a female passenger before the plane hits the ground and the camera goes black.
Following a muffled crash sound, silence descends on the plane before passengers begin to moan in pain.
“Everybody out! Everybody out! Everybody out” a man can be heard shouting.
The plane slammed into a nearby building, resulting in the deaths of flight engineer Chris Barnard and a person on the ground.
“There were a number of serious injuries with one fatal injury confirmed on the accident scene. In addition, three people who were on the ground were injured. One of them passed away [Thursday],” the South African Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement.
Private paramedic service ER24 said first responders arrived to find the wreckage alight.
“Several patients were trapped in the aircraft and their injuries ranged from minor to critical,” a spokesman said.
Times Live said one passenger suffered a double amputation in the crash.
The Australian pilots are A380 captains Douglas Haywood, a flight trainer, and Ross Kelly, who is retired, News Corp Australia reported.
Mr Kelly’s wife Lyndal was also on board and is believed to be in a stable condition.
“We were deeply upset to learn that two Qantas pilots, one current and one retired, were on board the vintage aircraft involved in an accident in South Africa on Tuesday,” a Qantas spokesman said.
Tour operator Rovos Rail took to Facebook on Monday saying the two Australians were at Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg “in induced comas, but stable”.
News Corp reports Rovos Rail had donated the 64-year-old aircraft to Aviodrome, an aviation museum and theme park in the Netherlands, where it was being transported to.
“Rovos Rail is supporting Aviodrome and the South African Civil Aviation Authority with the subsequent investigation,” the company said.
The SACAA are continuing their investigations with a preliminary report to be issued within 30 days of the crash.
With AAP
