Search continues for pilot after Durban plane crash

FILE | NSRI swimmers on rescue vehicle.

ALS paramedics spokesperson Garrith Jamieson says search and rescue crews are resolute in their search for the missing 61-year-old Johannesburg pilot, whose plane crashed into the sea off Durban’s Suncoast Beach six days ago.

The light aircraft crashed into the sea while the pilot was giving an aerial display to school children following an international aviation conference. Pieces of wreckage started to wash ashore within hours of the crash.

Jamieson says the search was being hampered by poor conditions this morning.

“They do have specialized equipment that they are using now that are on the boat itself and then obviously, as far as possible, the divers go into the water. The biggest issue is the conditions, but also, the visibility is very bad in this water. I mean, if you just look in the water, it’s brown when the waves are breaking. So, the team meets in the morning and then obviously waits, checks the tides, checks the winds, you know, etcetera, and then comes out and try to find the wreckage. They are going to keep on trying to try and bring closure to the family.”

[WATCH]
Rescue teams continue to search for the missing 61-year-old pilot whose light aircraft plunged into the ocean off a beach in Durban last week. Jayed Paulse reports. pic.twitter.com/W97IRhcHfo

— SABC News (@SABCNews) August 19, 2025