A light plane crashed in western Tanzania on Saturday, killing two South Africans who had been involved in last month’s successful attempt to fly a home-built aircraft from Cape Town to Cairo, officials said.
Photo Courtesy: Facebook/U Dream Global
Des Werner and Werner Froneman who were involved in a project “ U Dream Global: Cape to Cairo Challenge” are reported to have been killed in the crash, that occurred shortly after take off from Tabora airport at around 7:30 am.
The Sling plane, which entered Tanzanian airspace from Uganda en route to Malawi, made a distress signal about engine failure before disappearing from radar, according to the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA).
The plane was destroyed by fire after the crash and only the engine and some other parts were recovered. It was owned by a South African organisation known as U-Dream Global.
South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation said it has activated its consular services to support affected families.
U-Dream Global, made international headlines in June when a group of students successfully built a four-seater Sling aircraft and then flew it from Cape Town to Cairo in July.
On its website, U-Dream Global is described as a not-for-profit organisation founded by teen pilot and motivational speaker Megan Werner in 2018.
