Inside the Alberton school plane crash: what investigators have found so far
Aviation authorities are investigating a crash in which a training aircraft struck a school building in Alberton after its engine reportedly stopped mid-flight during a pilot licence test.
Image: Gauteng Provincial Joint Operations Centre
The Accidents and Incidents Investigations Division (AIID) has confirmed it is investigating what it described as an “emergency landing” after a light aircraft crashed at a school in Alberton, Gauteng, on Sunday afternoon.
According to the AIID, the accident occurred at approximately 11:20 a.m and involved a Tecnam P92 Echo aircraft, registration ZU-BJX.
On board the aircraft were two occupants, a flight instructor and a student pilot. No injuries were reported.
However, the aircraft and the school building sustained damage during the emergency landing.
“The aircraft had departed from Rand Airport for a Private Pilot Licence skills test and was returning to the same airport when the accident occurred,” the AIID said in a statement.
The aircraft is believed to have experienced an engine stoppage, resulting in a forced landing.
“An AIID investigator was dispatched to the site to collect evidence for a final report that will be issued once the investigation is complete,” the agency said.
On Sunday, IOL News reported that two people had miraculously survived the crash.
The City of Ekurhuleni said the instructor and student were conducting a final evaluation flight test for a Private Pilot Licence when they experienced engine failure and were forced to make an emergency landing on the Hoërskool Alberton rugby field.
City spokesperson Tikkie MacDonald said the aircraft crashed into the school’s tuckshop.
“Firefighters from the City of Ekurhuleni were immediately dispatched to the scene. Fortunately, both the instructor and the student escaped uninjured.”
“The incident has been reported to the Civil Aviation Authorities and is currently under investigation,” MacDonald said.
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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