She was found conscious at the crash scene but later died of her injuries. Philip Jansen van Rensburg reported his wife obtained weather information from various websites before leaving home that morning and told him it “looked good for flying”. A Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) investigation was launched and several pilots said conditions seemed to match the forecasts. However, some pilots who flew that day said wind conditions were “more turbulent and challenging” than had been forecast or assessed from the ground. One pilot said he would not have taken off if he had known how rough the flight would be.
An overwhelming sense of peace and tranquillity came over me once I had made the decision. I’d been flying backwards against the ridge long enough to realise I had run out of choices. The only way out was to turn and fly into the unknown, face it head on…Read more
“The sky was beautiful, with lovely cumuli. D-Day! Off we went, hopping from one valley to the next with Lord of the Rings scenery all around.” What’s it like to soar over a real-life Middle Earth? Antoine Girard and Benoit Outters flew the length of New Zealand’s Southern Alps – twice – to find out. […]Read more