Report: Cocktail of cock-ups led to Swakop chopper crash
A helicopter that crashed in Swakopmund in July, claiming the lives of two men, did not have a valid certificate of airworthiness for South Africa or Namibia. Pilot instructor Jacques Jacobs (54) and aviation maintenance engineer Dirk von Weidts (29) died in the accident near the Swakopmund airport shortly before 16:00 on 19 July.
According to a preliminary report issued by the directorate for aircraft accidents and investigations, the helicopter also did not have a permit to carry out test flights.
Jacobs and Von Weidts were both associated with the Flying School Company in the coastal town.
The helicopter landed in Namibia in February 2022, the report read. The Aviation Maintenance Organisation applied for registration V5-HGG to be discussed only in June this year. The regulator, the Namibian Civil Aviation Authority, did discuss the registration, but despite this, the owner of the helicopter did not proceed with the actual registration process.
The report said the helicopter was still registered in South Africa under the South African registration ZS-HLG at the time of the accident.
Instead of using the original engine, during the accident, the helicopter had an engine that previously belonged to a Namibian-registered helicopter with the registration number V5-HJL (R44), it read.
A few days after the crash, 34-year-old Antje Gesa Nauhaus appeared in the Swakopmund Magistrate's Court on charges of fraud, the forgery of a flight test permit and culpable homicide.
According to a police report, she was arrested at her home after a case was opened by the owner of Namibia Base Aviation CC. Nauhaus is alleged to have illegally issued forged and altered certificates for the registration and flight test permit to Namibia Base Aviation. Several cellphones, six computers, two laptops and three boxes of financial documents were seized at the time. Nauhaus will appear in court again on 2 October.
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According to a preliminary report issued by the directorate for aircraft accidents and investigations, the helicopter also did not have a permit to carry out test flights.
Jacobs and Von Weidts were both associated with the Flying School Company in the coastal town.
The helicopter landed in Namibia in February 2022, the report read. The Aviation Maintenance Organisation applied for registration V5-HGG to be discussed only in June this year. The regulator, the Namibian Civil Aviation Authority, did discuss the registration, but despite this, the owner of the helicopter did not proceed with the actual registration process.
The report said the helicopter was still registered in South Africa under the South African registration ZS-HLG at the time of the accident.
Instead of using the original engine, during the accident, the helicopter had an engine that previously belonged to a Namibian-registered helicopter with the registration number V5-HJL (R44), it read.
A few days after the crash, 34-year-old Antje Gesa Nauhaus appeared in the Swakopmund Magistrate's Court on charges of fraud, the forgery of a flight test permit and culpable homicide.
According to a police report, she was arrested at her home after a case was opened by the owner of Namibia Base Aviation CC. Nauhaus is alleged to have illegally issued forged and altered certificates for the registration and flight test permit to Namibia Base Aviation. Several cellphones, six computers, two laptops and three boxes of financial documents were seized at the time. Nauhaus will appear in court again on 2 October.
– [email protected]
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