TWO Zambia Airforce (ZAF) officers have died after their FA 528 SAB Aircraft yesterday crashed around Kabanje Bwiketo Village in Livingstone.
The village, where the accident happened, is located less than a kilometer off Zimba-Livingstone Road and approximately 40 kilometres from Livingstone town centre.
No villager was injured despite the plane crashing at an area surrounded by village huts made out of grass roofs.
A Times of Zambia crew which rushed to the scene found a combined team of ZAF officers, police officers and Livingstone Fire Brigades trying to retrieve the two bodies from the remains of the plane.
The officers cordoned off the scene and barred journalists from taking pictures of the plane wreckage while villagers and other residents watched the happenings from a distance after a directive from men and women in uniforms.
Later in the afternoon, another ZAF plane came to the scene and officers came out to witness the accident scene.
Southern Province Commissioner of Police Charity Katanga, who was also present at the accident scene, confirmed the death of two ZAF officers in an interview.
Ms Katanga said the accident happened around 12:00 hours yesterday after which police officers and the Livingstone Fire Brigade rushed to the scene.
“We received information that there was a plane crash around 12:00 hours in Kabanje Bwiketo Village.
Police officers and Livingstone Fire Brigade officers rushed to the scene and found that it was a ZAF plane which had crashed,” Ms Katanga said.
She said she would not reveal the names of two ZAF officers who died until the next of kin were notified.
“I suspect the accident could have happened when the two officers were doing their routine work.
However, I cannot confirm what could have caused the accident and only ZAF can determine what transpired,” Ms Katanga said.
She said the bodies had been retrieved and they would be ferried to the mortuary according to ZAF procedures.
And Bwiketo Village marketers, who witnessed the accident, said they saw the plane roll several times until in crashed on the ground with a huge sound.
“The plane was rolling from above then it went down slightly above Bwiketo Community School before it hit the ground with a loud sound.
We then went near it and there was no sign of people inside it then we told other villages not to touch the plane until ZAF officers came,” they said.
A local farmer Witika Siamabulu said he also saw the plane pass through above his farm between 12:00 hours and 13:00 hours then later it started rolling and hit the ground with a loud noise.
low budget aircraft from china
Another crash? What a worst of life and money.
‘waste’ of life and money!
SAAB is not Chinese bwana
Thank you London Eye
What do you expect when you entrust high school graduates with complex equipment. May be even there recruitment was questionable owing to what has been happening during army, zns and air force recruitments. Its high time military academies for officer training are turned into university level education. Imagine someone graduates from high school at 17, 18 completes the 6 months military training then starts flying!! Even ratsa has age limit for PSV licenses. Military officers e.g pilots should first undergo 3 to 4 yr degree equivalent academic courses such as Engineering alongside military training then graduate to flying schools. Its actually happening in most military academies world over. We are not in a rush to quickly fast truck pilot trainings. Times are changing. Need quality.
Your comments are full of assumptions. No one has mentioned the names, age, education back ground of the two ZAF officer yet you go on to hate and hurt. This type of bitterness in people is getting worrying.
Actually ZAF pilots are well trained and most of them are trained abroad to fly planes. I know a few officers have very good qualifications of degree and masters level in different fields working for ZAF. I think it is not right to speculate too much especially if the info you have been given is so limited. Anyway mwema Zambians mulakonkuluda!
Lutuku ilabomba.
iwe John, which “Decade” was it that you knew Officers to be well trained??
Thank God, nobakafwa bantu baali ansi! What normal duties were the officers on? What does ZAF do flying over people’s farms, villages and schools?
Two things: aircraft registration is AF-528; not FA 528 . Secondly, the aircraft is Saab, made by the Saab Group, a Swedish aerospace and defence company.
…..And these are mostly training aircraft. What is the meaning of the plane was rolling?Could it be that they were spinning or trying out their complex sky maneuvers?
Sad to lose lives.Planes in my view are flying coffins.
With all fairness, gvt should constitute an aviation technical team to seriously investigate these ZAF plane crashes before we lose more lives. Not so long ago, we lost another officer in a similar manner. This really raises a lot of questions, are the planes air worth? or is the training given to our officers adequate?
A timely warning to stop the habit of intimidating innocent people by unnecessarily flying over their populated areas.
SKV, sounds like you have a complex. Only you know which one. I have a son turning 16 yrs this March and still in high school. He got his private pilot flying license last year after doing a total of 40 flight hrs. He did 30 hrs with an instructor and flew 10 hrs solo. Its no rocket science. Anybody with a normal fuctioning brain can do it.
Tell him! Ubututu pa Zed!
@ kci: You are very right; some people just jump to conclusions without even gathering facts. This kind of reasoning is surely worrying. It is like people just have ‘issues’ and then want to download them on LT. What a tragedy! Guys, get a life!!
Is that a plane in the picture?
I can’t see any plane either! but only a helicopter in the background.
Yes IT IS A PLANE!!!
There are two typesof Planes: FIXED WING & ROTARY WING (AKA Helicopters!!)
I learn t with deep sorrow the passing on of two intelligent young men aged around 30 and 23. This is a loss that literally knocked me down. Death has once again robbed us of men that have been a source of happiness and joy to their families and this great country.
What is it that we can say? but to say God availed to us these beautiful and un-priced gifts and in His own wisdom He has taken them away. Like what one old lady Zambian musician sings, “God gave us just to keep and, as owner, He has taken away.” May His name be glorified. My prayer goes to God for the trainee-pilot’s friends, now 9 remaining in his group out a total of 36, and their remaining instructors. I claim Psalm 91 upon all of them. Major Musukwa’s relatives; please look after his children it’s his only…
Please ZAf and Government . Take Care of lives of people. From the time we heard of this plane crash it has been very difficult to sleep. Call foreign expertise to inspect those plane and also the trainers. In less than a Year 3 plane crashes. It is not normal. Once life is lost its lost forever. PLEASE, PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. OUR DEAR PRESIDENT SATA.Please COME IN AND TELL US WHAT IS GOING ON. The families that have lost the beloved ones, only God to Strengthen you.We don’t know the pilots but we are bleeding with pain in our hearts and we are praying for you.