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A CESSNA 185 light aircraft yesterday crashed at the Ndola International Airport, instantly killing the pilot and his trainee.
The pilot has been identified as John Murphy and his trainee, Ayubu Barisa, a Kenyan national.
Director of civil aviation Chitalu Kabalika said the cause of the accident is being investigated but confirmed that the aircraft crashed during a test flight.
“They were doing touch and go flights at the airport. The instructor was teaching the student to perfect his handling techniques when landing and taking off,” Mr Kabalika said.
A Cessna 185 is a single engine light aircraft with a tail wheel. It is also known as as the skywagon.
Mr Kabalika said the pilot was hired to train students because there are few individuals who are qualified to handle such aircraft.
He said the pilot was using the aircraft belonging to the International Red Locust Control Organisation for Central and Southern Africa for the training.
Mr Kabalika said preliminary investigations have revealed that the accident was not caused by an engine failure but that the pilot had difficulties in landing the aircraft.
“According to the eyewitnesses, the crash was not caused by an engine failure, that is why we will investigate to clarify what caused the accident,” Mr Kabalika said.
Ndola Central Hospital (NCH) public relations officer Sheona Chalimbana confirmed that the hospital received the bodies of Mr Murphy and Mr Barisa.
The bodies are in the NCH mortuary.
And according to eyewitnesses and police officers found at the scene, the plane crashed into the loader as the pilot attempted to land the aircraft during a training session.
A check at the Ndola International Airport by a Zambia Daily Mail team which rushed to the scene revealed that the plane had not been disentangled from the loader but the bodies had been removed from the wreckage.
Eyewitness at the airport said the accident happened at about 11:30hours.
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