MAPUTO, Seven people suffered injuries on Tuesday when a light aircraft crashed on takeoff from the aerodrome on Bazaruto island, off the coast of the southern Mozambican province of Inhambane, local media reported Thursday.
The South Africa-registered Cessna-402 plane failed to gain height and hit a small tree. It was carrying eight people, including the pilot. Three of the injured required medical attention, and were evacuated for treatment in South Africa.
The plane was flying from Bazaruto to Vilanculo on the Mozambican mainland, and then on to the Kruger National Park in South Africa.
The chairperson of the Mozambican Civil Aviation Institute (IACM), Joao Abreu, said: We think the weather conditions may have contributed to this accident, but the fact that the pilot was unable to gain height may lead to suspicions that the plane was carrying too much weight. We shall investigate this.”
Abreu said the pilot is in Vilanculo where he is being questioned about the crash. The licences and the technical documentation of the aircraft are in the custody of our authorities.”
The Bazaruto airstrip is privately owned, and Abreu said the IACM will also look into the circumstances of the attempted take-off. The IACM has sent a technical team to Bazaruto to ascertain the causes of the crash.
Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK