MOSSEL BAY NEWS - The U Dream Global Cape to Cairo flight challenge has been hit by a double tragedy.
The Mossel Bay Advertiser reported on the challenge in May and June because a young pilot from Hartenbos, Chandre Swanepoel, did the Johannesburg to Cape Town part of the challenge, stopping over in Mossel Bay en route, before the official start of the challenge from Cape Town.
A statement on the U Dream Global facebook page, posted on Saturday, 3 August, at 22:44, reads: “U Dream Global: Cape to Cairo Challenge is devastated to report that there has been an accident of the flight support aircraft and that the Project Directors, Des Werner and Werner Froneman, have lost their lives. No one else was involved in the accident. We kindly request everybody’s understanding at this incredibly difficult time. Our love and thoughts go to Des and Werner’s friends and families.”
The Cape to Cairo challenge was the brainchild of Meghan Werner, Des’ daughter, who is a motivational speaker. Chandre told the Mossel Bay Advertiser this morning, Sunday, 4 August: “Des’ wife, Belinda, contacted me via her personal assistant this morning to let me know the news. This is terrible, heartbreaking. Des helped me a lot in aviation. I worked with him on the U Dream project with regards to the planning. Des put his heart and soul into the project. I also worked with Werner Froneman and was the last person to see him when their flight left South Africa en route to Cairo.”
Official details on the crash are awaited from the South African Civil Aviation Authority. It is foreseen that its report will be available on Monday, 5 August.
Belinda Werner and others were awaiting Des Werner and Werner Froneman in Malawi, but they did not arrive. Belinda was contacted by airport officials and told there had been a crash.
The plane went down on Tanzianian ground, according to unconfirmed reports gleaned by the Mossel Bay Advertiser.
Apparently the plane went down shortly after take-off. There was a fire. The pilots were on the Nairobi to Malawi part of the trip when the plane went down. There had been a fuel leak apparently, but the pilots were satisfied that it had been repaired satisfactorily before they took off from Nairobi.
There were about 180 comments on the U Dream facebook page this morning, 4 August, in response to the sad news. Among others, Des was described as a “consummate gentleman” and top pilot. One person said there must have been something really wrong with the plane for Des not to have been in control in the air, because he was such a good pilot. Another post said the Cape to Cairo challenge must be completed because Des would have wanted that.
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