Rhino Poaching: Setbacks

[iNdlovu]

Very sad news

[Flutterby]

Terrible!! And all because of these darn poachers!!!

[Richprins]

Condolences!

[Richprins]

From Looklocal:

http://www.looklocal.co.za/looklocal/co ... ldtuin-val

Die helikopter het gister omstreeks 18:00 in die Houtbosrand-gedeelte neergestort

31 March 2013 | Nicolene Smalman

HOUTBOSRAND - Vyf weermaglede is dood nadat 'n helikopter van die Suid-Afrikaanse Nasionale Weermag gister in die Nasionale Krugerwildtuin neergestort het.

Min inligting is op hierdie stadium beskikbaar. Ondersoekers is tans op die toneel besig en daar is geen selfoonsein in die gebied nie.

Die soldate was glo vroeër die dag met 'n anti-renosterstropingsoperasie in die gebied besig. Die helikopter sou lede by 'n basis gaan aflaai het toe dit neergestort het. Dit het na wat berig word, aan die brand geslaan.

Vyf soldate is op die toneel dood.


Not much to add...

In Houtboschrand Section, investigators busy, no cellphone reception, military were returning to base after a day's anti-poaching activity.

[Sprocky]

The latest reports are that the pilot was disorientated in the dark and it sounds like it was a case of CFIT (controlled flight into terrain). They had just taken off from Olifants Camp and were on their way back to Skukuza.

This is the scene. (Photo from Beeld)



Unfortunately I new the one of the deceased personally. He was my daughters teachers husband. They are expecting their first child.

RIP Jakes and the rest of your team and thanks for your commitment to saving our Rhino.

[iNdlovu]

Damn, this is sad. sprocs, please pass on our condolences to Jakes' family.
How far is the crash sight from the pad?

[Sprocky]

The crash site is 2Km south of Olifants.

[iNdlovu]

Hmmmm, a bit far to have been a problem on transitional. Anyway very sad.

[Sprocky]

This does not make for good reading...

Google Translate:

Experience, or lack thereof, is probably the root cause of the string of air crashes plaguing the Air Force since November.

Experts weekend's accident in the Kruger National Park that killed five soldiers, assigned to the dark, fatigue and stress due to high-intensity work of poachers hunting.

They explained that time of the evening about seven o'clock is the most difficult and dangerous time to fly in an area like the park, where there is no light for reference.

The pilot was apparently disorientated in the dark and possibly mistaken him with its position relative to the ground. Minutes later, he was slammed to the ground. The helicopter broke into pieces and exploded.

According to experts, the park for flying purposes "scary dark" hit. It is more dangerous than just a single pilot and look no help and advise.

Helmoed-Römer Heitman, a military expert, said it is premature to Sunday night's accident to comment, but he leads the crew was relatively inexperienced in an environment where hard working under pressure and under unusual circumstances.

"The pilots do not have much experience, because there are not enough flying hours for them to gain experience.

"There are not enough experienced flight instructors. In one stage or another must still lead to accidents.

"Add to that the problems with the loss of technicians who maintain the aircraft and the risk of a disaster only gets worse," Heitman said.

The case was a helicopter Agusta 109, one of 30 helicopters that the air force bought in the multibillion-arms deals. This is the fourth of them destroyed in an accident.

The air force has in November also a Dakota C47 cargo plane lost when the pilot made a hard landing in Mthatha and walked the plane from the runway.

Soon after, a Dakota against the Drakensberg flew while a Casa-light cargo plane's nose wheel has broken down during a hard landing.

"It's a confluence of a lot of things that cause one accident after another and the Air Force should sit down and think about it hard," Heitman said.

"There has been concern for some time about the limited flying hours due to the shrinking defense budget.

"Pilots can unfortunately only experience flying."

This is the fourth the Agusta 109 that the Air Force since the introduction of the helicopters lost.

In 2009, the Woodstock Dam in KwaZulu-Natal case and all three crew members on board drowned.

In December 2010, one of the helicopters of 15 Squadron in Durban during a misdaadbekampingsoperasie because a problem with the stertrotor a hard landing at Ballito done.

Another was written off after a control rod broken down and it was a hard landing at Potchefstroom done.

Hard work; little reward

Captain. Jakes Janse van Rensburg was involved in training commandos 5 Special Forces Regiment in Phalaborwa.

He married young and was a member of the teams that rhino poachers in the Kruger National Park's trail follows.

Sgt. P.M. Nidishishi was still a young member of the same regiment.

Kpl. B.P. Cele was a reserve medical orderly of 7 Medical Battalion in Pretoria already months in the park service did. Cele waited in vain on a full-time appointment.

Along with the other soldiers who are deployed in the park, these soldiers initially under the impression that they would receive a proper allowance for the dangerous work they do.

It has not happened yet

[Richprins]

Lowvelder today:


FULL STORY: Helicopter crash in KNP kills soldiers

They had just assisted in apprehending a suspected rhino poachers.

01 April 2013 | Nicolene Smalman

HOUTBOSCHRAND - Five South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers were burnt beyond recognition when the Augusta helicopter they were flying in crashed in the Kruger National Park (KNP) on Saturday night.


They were part of Operation Rhino, a continuous anti-poaching initiative in the park, and had just assisted in apprehending a suspected rhino poacher who had an axe in his possession. He was wounded and is currently recuperating in a hospital near the Kruger.


According to an informed source, the five soldiers assisted in the arrest of the suspected poacher, a Mozambican national, in the Tshokwane section of the park at about 14:00 that day. The soldiers were busy at the scene until about 17:00 after which they boarded the helicopter and took off.


Field rangers saw the chopper circling the Houtboschrand section above the Olifants River at about 19:15. They then heard a loud bang and when they scanned the area where they had seen the aircraft moments before they noticed the flames.


They ran closer to investigate and found the aircraft engulfed in flames.


The soldiers’ bodies had been scattered outside the wreckage and all of them were burnt beyond recognition.


They have been identified as:


• Capt Jacobus Andries van Rensburg (35)
• Sgt Paulus Changela Ndishishi (28)
• Lance Corp Bheki Petros Cele (28)
The above-mentioned soldiers were from 5 Special Force Regiment in Phalaborwa.


• The pilot, Capt Tshabala (first name and age unknown)
• The flight engineer, Sgt Reuters (first name and age unknown).
These two soldiers were stationed at 15 Squadron in Durban.


Officials from the police and SANDF spent the entire Sunday assessing the scene in an attempt to establish the cause of the accident.


Ms Marie Bray, spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority, upon enquiry said that they did not investigate accidents in which military aircraft were involved.


The fallen soldiers’ firearms, R1 and R4 assault rifles, were also found next to the Augusta’s wreckage.


Their bodies were only removed from the scene on Sunday and taken to the state mortuary at Mapulaneng Hospital in Bushbuckridge.

http://www.looklocal.co.za/looklocal/co ... s-soldiers