The light aircraft made an emergency landing on the rugby field.
The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) says a light aircraft that crashed into a school tuckshop in Alberton will not affect schooling activities or the ongoing National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations.
The light aircraft made an emergency landing on the rugby field at Hoërskool Alberton and crashed into the school’s tuckshop on Sunday morning, 26 October 2025.
Plane crash
Ekurhuleni Emergency Services spokesperson Tikkie MacDonald said firefighters were immediately dispatched to the scene.
“Authorities confirmed that the instructor and student, who were conducting a final evaluation flight for a private pilot licence, experienced engine failure, forcing the emergency landing.”
MacDonald said the pilot and the instructor who were on board the aircraft sustained no injuries.
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Tuckshop
Gauteng Education Department spokesperson Steven Mabona said the tuckshop will remain closed.
“Parents have been advised to ensure that learners bring their own food to school while repairs are being arranged.
“The GDE commends the school’s management, emergency services and aviation authorities for their prompt response to this sudden incident,” Mabona said.
The incident has been reported to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and is currently under investigation.
Flight delays
Meanwhile, the Airline Association of Southern Africa (AASA) has raised concerns about persistent flight delays at several airports across the country.
This comes after the continued suspension of more than 200 instrument flight procedures by the country’s Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) at airports nationwide.
AASA CEO Aaron Munetsi said the suspension of flight procedures continues to disrupt airline operations and costs airlines millions of dollars in additional fuel, engine wear and maintenance, crew flight duty, flight operations support, customer compensation and reputational damage.
Suspension
The ATNS previously confirmed the suspension of instrument flight procedures for all instrument navigation flight approaches at airports in George, Kimberley, Polokwane, Mthatha, and Richards Bay to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
The suspension has severely affected flights to these airports.
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