Police rally locals to assist in finding missing pilot
Port Alfred police have put local farmers on alert to be on the lookout for missing Benoni pilot Clifton Pike.
Port Alfred Police Station commander Col Lizette Zeelie said police have been searching for Pike since late yesterday afternoon.
Zeelie said police, the farmers’ association and the 43 Air School in Port Alfred are part of the search team.
Planes are conducting fly-overs in search of the missing pilot.
Zeelie said authorities in the Colchester region will be notified of the search and that police will continue the search for as long as they can and weather permitting.
Pike was reported missing at approximately 1.30pm yesterday (Wednesday).
According to the pilot’s stepson, Brogan Shrimpton, Pike was flying from Margate to Port Alfred.
Pike then departed from Port Alfred en route to Mossel Bay, but did not land.
According to the City Times’ sister paper, the Mossel Bay Advertiser, both Pike and another pilot, Rob du Plooy, left Port Alfred (in separate aircraft), where the weather forecast was marginal, but with an indication that it would lift once they reached St Francis.
Du Plooy said they decided to split up to avoid bad weather.
Just outside Alexandria, the weather changed to heavy cloud and mist.
Du Plooy managed to divert to upper levels and towards the sea and make it into Port Elizabeth to land.
Pike is believed to have been flying a Giles 202 aircraft.
The missing man, and owner of Icon Bricks East Rand, was due to compete at the Western Cape Regional Aerobatics Championship, to be held in Mossel Bay, at weekend, according to event organiser Hans Potgieter.
