Forty-three accidents, of which 12 were fatal, have been recorded by the Accidents and Incidents Investigations Division (AIID) of the South African Civil Aviation Authority in the 2025/26 financial year.

According to communications manager Sisa Majola, 17 people lost their lives in these accidents. This fatality count is significantly higher than in the same period last year, and the regulator is urging pilots and operators to exercise extreme caution.

Fatalities

The 12 fatal accidents occurred between April and November 2025. In March, a fatal accident happened at a West Coast air show. October brought further losses, with two planes going missing in the KZN Midlands. Both were found, as was another plane from a separate accident, which was discovered in a remote terrain near Barberton. In November, a pilot, later identified as VIA TV presenter and chef Mynie Steffens, died in a fatal Eastern Cape accident while conducting a crop-spraying flight.

In a separate, non-fatal accident in April, a bizarre Eastern Cape helicopter accident was reportedly caused by a ‘webbed wingman’ (a penguin in a cardboard box that slipped onto the pilot’s controls). Remarkably, no injuries were recorded in that accident.

Fewer accidents – but more deadly ones

Majola mentions that in the same period in the 2024/25 financial year (April–November period), there were only two fatal accidents recorded. The financial year before that saw 115 accidents, of which 19 fatalities were recorded in 13 fatal accidents, while fewer fatalities (12 from nine fatal accidents) were recorded in the 2022/23 financial year, when there were 113 accidents recorded.

His statement adds that the regulator is ‘deeply concerned’ by these occurrences, which it says resemble a similar trend to October 2008.

“The AIID is conducting independent investigations to determine the causal and contributory factors behind these accidents,” Majola explains.

Festive fears

While the aviation authority aims to strengthen safety performance and reduce preventable risks in the sector, through accelerating proactive safety interventions under the newly approved General Aviation Safety Strategy 2025–2030, the festive season brings an increased risk.

Typically accompanied by increased flight activity, adverse weather, tight schedules and elevated operational pressure, pilots and operators have been urged to prioritise disciplined decision-making and meticulous flight planning with strict adherence to regulations.

“Experience-induced complacency, undue haste and self-imposed pressure remain significant contributors to avoidable accidents,” Majola says and adds that while our skies remain safe, keeping them safe is a shared responsibility.

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