A light aircraft plunged into the ocean near Suncoast Beach in Durban. Authorities are searching for the missing pilot.
A light aircraft has crashed into the ocean in front of the beach in the Durban CBD, KwaZulu-Natal.
Emergency services, including the ALS Paramedics, the South African Police Service (Saps) and the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), are currently on the scene of the incident in front of Suncoast Beach.
Light aircraft crashes into ocean in Durban
Video footage circulated on social media shows a light aircraft looping in the sky before plummeting towards the ocean and skidding for a distance.
Watch the video here:
At 2:47pm, ALS Paramedics said that all necessary authorities were in attendance at the scene.
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“The Saps helicopter, together with life savers and NSRI boats, is on the water, trying to locate the missing pilot. Life savers are also on the water,” the private ambulance service said.
“However, the pilot has not been found as yet.”
Watch another angle of the crash here:
In an update at 3:55pm, ALS Paramedics said the rescue operation was still taking place.
“At this stage, no occupants from this tragic aeroplane crash have been located as yet,” they said.
KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport and Human Settlements, Siboniso Duma, who was at the scene of the crash, confirmed that the Accident and Incident Investigations Division (AIID) has taken over the scene.
The aircraft formed part of an airshow taking place at Virginia Airport on the sidelines of the Next Generation of Aviation Professionals (NGAP) Global Summit 2025.
Aircraft that crashed wasn’t South African
Duma highlighted the sensitivity of the information about the accident and protocols in place by aviation authorities because it wasn’t a South African aircraft that crashed. The MEC promised a thorough analysis and proper updates in the future.
When asked for more details about the pilot, Duma said that information will be shared at the correct time.
“At this point in time, we’ve come to follow this and ensure that the family remains comforted until the news is given to them correctly and officially,” he said.
The MEC said that the focus is on ensuring that the pilot’s family is comforted and informed of the incident and that the investigation will be conducted thoroughly.
* This is a developing story
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