Pilot dies in Lstone plane crash

 A PILOT at Batoka Sky Adventures died when the microlight plane he was flying crashed in Livingstone yesterday while a passenger was severely injured.

The incident happened yesterday between 07:00 and 08:00 hours about 30 meters from the railway line in the Mosi-oa-tunya National Park, heading to the Victoria Falls.

The pilot and his passenger were conducting their routine flights.

Sources familiar with Batoka Sky Adventures identified the dead pilot as Heiko Held.

However, by press time, the Zambia Police Service had not released the details of the crash but Zambia Civil Aviation Authority (ZCAA) confirmed the development to the Daily Nation in Livingstone.

Director General Gabriel Lesa disclosed that the authority has dispatched experts from Lusaka to Livingstone to conduct preliminary investigations on what led to the crash.

Authorities at the Livingstone Central Hospital denied having received the body of the died pilot and the injured person from the crash.

“During a routine 6 monthly skills test that was performed this morning by the Batoka Sky flight training captain and a senior microlight pilot an accident occurred and one of the pilots, Heiko Held was tragically killed. We are currently waiting for the Zambian Civil Aviation Authority to conduct an investigation into the cause of the accident. All microlight flights will be suspended from today until further notice, Batoka Sky Group General Manager Daan Geldenhuys said.

And acting Senior Medical Superintendant Dr Chiyenu said that the hospital did not receive any report of admission of the injured nor the body of the pilot, meaning another medical facility could have been used.

Batoka Sky Adventures Managing Director Daan Brink which operates under the Livingstone Adventures could not be reached for a comment.

The Daily Nation could not establish the cause of the accident by press time.

Batoka Sky Adventures operates the only microlight flight training school in Zambia that is approved by the Zambian Civil Aviation.

It offers the highest standard of tutoring and the resident commercial pilots are carefully selected and Instructor rated.

Source: Pilot dies in Lstone plane crash (11/01/2020)