Pilot of HORRIFIC SAPS aircraft crash still in ICU fighting for his life [UPDATE]

The pilot and lone survivor of the HORRIFIC SAPS aircraft crash of a week ago is still fighting for his life in ICU.

THE LONE SURVIVOR IS THE PILOT, CASPER SWANEPOEL

Captain Casper Swanepoel, the pilot, was the lone survivor of the crash that claimed the lives of five people last week.

Casper is a senior pilot with 16 years of service.

According to a family member, Casper broke both his legs and his sternum in the accident.

It is believed a CT scan showed that Casper also injured his spinal cord. He sustained an open cut on his head and broke almost all his front teeth.

Casper is currently in ICU and will probably be sedated for the next couple of days and is currently on a ventilator to give his body a chance to heal.

The family members said in a Facebook post that he underwent surgeries shortly after the accident and that he was out of danger for now.

On Monday, a close source told The South African Casper is still on a ventilator in ICU. He is a stable condition.

ALSO READ: BREAKING NEWS: Five KILLED after SAPS aircraft crashes near Rand Airport

FIVE OTHERS DIED IN THE HORRIFIC AIRCRAFT CRASH ON TUESDAY

Five other people were killed in the accident. One of them is Warrant Officer Willem Erasmus, a SAPS airborne law enforcement officer with 29 years of service.

As an airborne law enforcement officer(ALEO), Erasmus was responsible for providing air support during crime prevention and search and rescue (SAR) operations.

The identities of the remaining four victims have still not yet been disclosed.

On board, the Pilatus Porter PC 6 were six people: two of them SAPS members and the rest technicians from a company contracted to service and maintain SAPS helicopters.

THE VICTIMS ARE A SAPS MEMBER AND FOUR UNKNOWN TECHNICIANS

Police spokesperson Colonel Athlenda Mathe, the preliminary report indicated the aircraft crashed shortly after taking off from the Rand Airport just after 14:30 on Tuesday, 30 August 2022.

“The SAPS has established a Board of Inquiry to investigate the cause of the accident. An inquest docket has also been registered to determine the cause of death of the five deceased.”

She furthermore said the Management of the SAPS met with the families of the two SAPS members on Wednesday and the representatives of the company that employed the four deceased technicians.

ALSO READ: UPDATE: The cause of the HORRIFIC SAPS aircraft accident investigated

THE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT AND THE CAUSE OF DEATH WILL BE INVESTIGATED

“This tragedy happens on the eve of the SAPS annual National Commemoration Day as we prepare to honour 33 police officers and reservists who died in the line of duty in the 2021/2022 financial year.

“Let’s allow investigations to unfold to be able to get to the bottom of what led to this tragedy. Our sincerest condolences to the affected families and we are wishing the pilot a speedy recovery,”

said Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili, the Acting National Commissioner.

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