New video captures passengers' terror inside ill-fated S. Africa plane: 'This is bad'

The company that donated the plane said the flight was intended to be "scenic."

July 18, 2018, 9:12 PM

New video from inside the plane that crashed in South Africa recently, killing one person aboard the flight, captured the terror experienced by passengers as they viewed one of the engines on fire.

"This is bad," one passenger can be heard saying. "This is getting very bad."

At the one-minute mark of the video, the plane appears to crash and people can be heard struggling.

"Everybody out," someone can be heard saying.

The July 10 flight carrying 19 people was meant to be a "scenic" one, according to train operator Rovos Rail, which had donated the vintage 1950s Convair 340 (ZS-BRV) plane to a museum in the Netherlands.

PHOTO: The aftermath of a plane crash near Pretoria, South Africa, is seen in this image taken from social media July 10, 2018.
The aftermath of a plane crash near Pretoria, South Africa, is seen in this image taken from social media July 10, 2018.
Reuters

The Convair had taken off from Wonderboom Airport in Pretoria, South Africa, before its planned departure for Holland the next day, Rovos Rail said in a statement Sunday.

Rovos had donated the aircraft to Aviodrome, an aviation museum and theme park in Leylstad, near Amsterdam.

The plane, which was being piloted by Captains Ross Kelly and Doug Hayward, both from Australia, experienced engine failure on takeoff and crashed just outside Wonderboom Airport, according to Rovos Rail.

The crash killed engineer Chris Barnard Barnard, an experienced engineer and pilot who'd worked with Convairs for 17 years, Rovos Rail said.

Kelly and Hayward were injured and transported by helicopter to a hospital in Johannesburg where they are in induced comas, but stable. "The prognosis is optimistic," Rovos Rail said in its statement.

Rovos is supporting Aviodrome and South Africa's Civil Aviation Authority with the investigation.

Kabelo Ledwaba, a spokesperson for South Africa's Civil Aviation Authority, said Wednesday the video from inside the aircraft was with an investigating team.

"We once again make an appeal to all concerned to give the investigators the space and time to thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident," Ledwaba said in an email. "The probable cause of the accident will be outlined in the final accident investigation report."

PHOTO: One person died in a plane crash in Wonderboom, Pretoria, July 10, 2018, emergency responders said.
One person died in a plane crash in Wonderboom, Pretoria, July 10, 2018, emergency responders said.
ER24

No one on the ground died, despite previous reports, Ledwaba said.