Date & Time:
May 26, 1971 at 1500 LT
Type of aircraft:
BAe 125
Operator:
Registration:
01
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Demonstration
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Cape Town - Cape Town
MSN:
25181
YOM:
1969
Country:
South Africa
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
4
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The crew was engaged in a local demonstration flight at Cape Town Airport, taking part to an airshow. With two other similar aircraft in a V formation, the Mercurius completed a low pass over Cape Town Airport then proceeded to the west. Shortly later, all three aircraft struck simultaneously the slope of the Devil's Peak shrouded in clouds and located about 15 km west of Cape Town Airport. All three aircraft were totally destroyed and all 11 crew members were killed.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain.
