Light Aircraft Crashes at Suncoast Beach, NSRI and Lifeguards Launch Search for Missing Pilot
- Members of the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) are searching for a pilot who crashed into the ocean
- The pilot was flying a light aircraft near Suncoast Beach when it lost control and plummeted into the water
- Viral video footage surfaced online showing the tragic moment when the aircraft crashed into the water
Source: Twitter
Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.
KWAZULU-NATAL – A search and rescue operation was underway at Suncoast Beach in Durban after a light aircraft crashed into the sea.
Video footage surfaced online showing the pilot doing an aerial display before the aircraft plummeted into the water. Emergency services and law enforcement officials rushed to the scene as a search began for the one occupant of the aircraft.
What happened to the aircraft
Video footage showed the pilot flying along before turning around. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft can be seen spiralling at a great speed into the water. The impact caused parts of the aircraft to break off.
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Garrith Jamieson, the spokesperson for ALS Paramedics who responded to the site, confirmed that members of the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) were searching for the pilot.
“Initial reports are that the light aircraft was doing displays and crashed into the ocean. NSRI and lifeguards are currently at the site, and paramedics are standing by for medical assistance,” he said.
Where was the pilot coming from?
The 61-year-old pilot, whose name is yet to be officially disclosed, was performing his final display during the airshow when his ZS-AEC Extra 300 aircraft crashed into the Indian Ocean.
The airshow took place following the Next Generation of Aviation Professionals (NGAP) Global Summit 2025. The summit, which was attended by over 1,000 delegates from across the globe, took place at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.
Minister of Transport Barbra Creecy and Member of the Executive Committee for Transport and Human Settlements Siboniso Duma were also in attendance at the summit when the tragedy struck.
MEC Duma then rushed off to the scene, where he met with emergency services officials and the Director of SA Civil Aviation Authority, Poppy Khoza. The authority’s Accident and Incident Investigations Division (AIID) is investigating the matter to determine the cause of the accident.
The extensive search was called off in the evening of 14 August, as light began to dwindle, but officials resumed searching on 15 August for the pilot. The wreckage of the plane has since been retrieved, but the 61-year-old remains missing.
Source: Twitter
Other aircraft crashes in 2025
Briefly News has reported that South Africa has experienced numerous tragic aircraft crashes in 2025.
In March 2025, a pilot was killed when his plane crashed during a live performance at the West Coast Airshow in Saldanha Bay.
On 5 June 2025, the pilot of an aircraft was killed after it crashed shortly after takeoff at Lanseria International Airport.
Four days later, the bodies of three passengers were found after their aircraft went missing in the Eastern Cape.
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Source: Briefly News
