UPDATE: Alberton plane crash: Instructor and student survive after aircraft hits school tuckshop
Gauteng Provincial Joint Operations Centre confirms plane crash at school.
Image: Gauteng Provincial Joint Operations Centre
Two people miraculously survived a light aircraft crash on Sunday afternoon in Alberton, Gauteng.
City of Ekurhuleni said an instructor and student were conducting a final evaluation flight test for a private pilot license when they experienced engine failure.
They were forced to make an emergency landing at the Hoërskool Alberton rugby field.
Spokesperson Tikkie MacDonald said they crashed into the school's tuckshop.
"Firefighters from the City of Ekurhuleni were immediately dispatched to the scene. The instructor and student were conducting a final evaluation flight test for a private pilot license when they experienced engine failure, necessitating an emergency landing on the school's rugby field.
"Fortunately, both the instructor and student escaped uninjured. The incident has been reported to the Civil Aviation Authorities and is currently under investigation."
Plane crash at Florentia school prompts emergency response.
Image: Gauteng Provincial Joint Operations Centre
South Africa's general aviation sector has been rocked by a string of tragedies in 2025, with at least four separate light-plane accidents confirmed by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) and the Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre (ARCC).
Mpumalanga: Missing plane found near Barberton, pilot dead
On October 18, the ARCC confirmed that a light aircraft, which had departed from King Mswati III International Airport (Eswatini) for Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport was located crashed in remote terrain near Barberton, Mpumalanga.
The pilot, the sole occupant, was found dead at the scene.
KwaZulu-Natal Midlands: Two aircraft lost, two pilots killed
In the week of October 14-16, search and rescue teams were dispatched to the Midlands region of Nottingham Road and nearby areas in KZN after two light aircraft failed to reach their destination.
One aircraft was located near Howick on discovery; the pilot and sole occupant was found fatally injured at the scene. The second craft was found the following morning; again, the pilot was confirmed deceased.
Notably, the provincial transport department confirmed that one of the pilots was Indian and that efforts were underway to repatriate his remains to India.
KZN Coast: Airshow crash at Durban North Beach
On August 14, a light aerobatic aircraft (an Extra 300, registration ZS-AEC) piloted by Andrew Blackwood-Murray, crashed into the ocean off Durban North Beach (near Suncoast Casino) during its final display at an airshow tied to the Next Generation of Aviation Professionals Global Summit 2025.
The crash occurred at approximately 13:45 pm when the plane plunged into the sea while performing the manoeuvre. The body believed to be that of the pilot was found on a Durban beach on September 12.
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