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Middelburg Airfield plane crash – Victims identified

The identities of the two individuals who lost their lives in yesterday’s aircraft accident have been confirmed by members of the Middelburg Aero Club.

UPDATE: Children witnessed their parents’ fatal plane crash at Middelburg Airfield

The two people killed in yesterday afternoon’s tragic plane crash have been confirmed by members of the Middelburg Aero Club (MAC) as husband and wife Quentin and Lezette Steyn.

The Middelburg Observer spoke to Johan Cillié, vice-chairman of the MAC, “Just last week on Monday, I spoke to Quentin for about an hour. He was a smart and pleasant man. Both he and his wife Lezette were very nice people, and I am heartbroken for their family for losing them both.”

READ MORE: WARNING: SHOCKING CONTENT – Images & video of the aircraft crash wreckage that claimed 2 lives

Cillié and chairman of the MAC, Cobus Peens, corroborated that Quentin was a former commercial airline pilot.

“I believe he was a skilled and experienced pilot and by no means a novice,” Peens said.

The Observer also spoke to Debbie Minnie, a close friend of Lezette.

“She was a wonderful mother. Lezette endured a lot of hardship in her life, but she always came out on top.”

Although not members of the Aero Club, the pair had frequented the Middelburg Airfield since January and stored their Rans S-10 Sakota at the club’s facilities.

READ ALSO: 2 People killed in aircraft crash at Middelburg Airfield

The crash, which occurred yesterday afternoon between the airfield’s runway and the outer fencing, left the plane heavily damaged from the impact and destroyed by the resulting flames.

• Peens further emphasised that Mayday-SA, a ‘group of volunteers offering a confidential and compassionate support network to South African aviation licence holders’, has offered their services to the family of the victims, as well as everyone who attended the scene.

• The couple are survived by two young daughters.

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Matt Handley

Matthew Handley has been working as a journalist and photographer at the Middelburg Observer since December 2022. Matthew was honoured with the Alet Roux Award for Best Young Journalist by the FCJ in 2023. As a community journalist, Matthew covers a diverse variety of topics, with an unwavering adoration for Middelburg.
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