Crash of a De Havilland DH.80 Puss Moth on Mt Tandjiesberg: 2 killed
Date & Time:
May 5, 1931 at 1130 LT
Registration:
ZS-ACC
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Johannesburg – Pietermaritzburg
MSN:
2058
YOM:
1930
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
The aircraft was owned by Glenn L. Bateman and piloted by Lieutenant Glen Kidston and Captain Thomas Anthony Gladstone. They were looking for a new route from Johannesburg to Pietermaritzburg. While cruising at an altitude of 300 metres, the aircraft entered clouds, lost a wing and crashed in a rocky area located on Mt Tandjiesberg, some 25 km northeast from Harrismith, Free State. Both occupants were killed and the lost wing was found 183 metres from the main wreckage.
Probable cause:
A wing failed in flight, most probably due to atmospheric turbulences encountered in the cloudy area.
