Ballito guardian angel airlifted 161 refinery workers to safety during KZN floods

On April 12 when floodwaters caused havoc in the region, the guardian angel of flood victims, Ballito helicopter pilot Chris Berlyn (45) and his crew, flew non-stop sorties to airlift 161 people to safety.

This brought Berlyn’s total number of rescues to more than 2 000 people over the course of his career.

As a ship transfer pilot for Acher Aviation, where his job is to shuttle SAPREF refinery workers to and from crude oil tankers, Berlyn did not expect to become active in rescue work again.

“The helicopter we use, an Airbus H145, is not meant to be used for search and rescue missions and it does not have a winch to help in airlift situations.

“Still, we were asked to respond to the scene at the refinery where floods had stranded more than 100 workers,” he said.

Once the team of Berlyn, Stuart Low (copilot) and Rob Dellar (crewman) were able to reach Acher’s base at Virginia Airport, they were in the air by 9.15am.

As it is in a low-lying area, the refinery near Prospecton was submerged under three to four metres of floodwater and workers had scrambled to any high buildings and elevated structures they could find.

This made the rescue challenging as there was no designated landing area and the helicopter had to hover at each rescue position in driving rain and 40km/h winds.

The danger was exacerbated by flying in typically restricted airspace.

“Normally we would never be allowed to fly around the refinery, as a spark in the wrong place could be catastrophic. Safety was therefore of paramount importance and we had to be focused at every juncture.” Between five and nine people could be

Between five and nine people could be picked up at a time, depending on the level of fuel used and the carrying weight of the helicopter.

Though most workers, who had been trapped since April 11, were tired and cold, only two were found in a genuinely dangerous situation.

“We spotted two older ladies standing on a landing beneath an awning and were unable to get to high ground. They had been standing in chest-deep water for hours.”

Given their position, the crew enlisted a colleague, fellow Ballito helicopter pilot and former lifeguard Dave Petersen, who jumped in to help them without a second thought.

With a ladder lowered down, Petersen was able to help both women into the hovering helicopter and they were taken directly to hospital.

“Dave was medically trained during his time as a lifeguard and he was of the opinion that should they have been left for much longer they would have been in serious danger.”

Although this rescue was unexpected given his current job, Berlyn was well informed by past experiences in the South African Air Force (SAAF).

Most notably, he was the pilot who airlifted ‘miracle baby’ Rosita Mabuiango who was born in a tree during the Mozambican floods in 2000.

This rescue mission made international headlines.

Trapped by rising water levels, heavily pregnant Sofi a Chubango clambered into a nearby tree with her two-year-old son in tow.

With the help of her mother-in-law, Sofi a was forced to give birth, perched perilously above the rushing water.

Cold, tired and hungry, the 24-year-old managed the feat and Rosita was born on March 1.

A few minutes later Berlyn and his team – who he estimates rescued 2 000 people – were able to airlift the family in one of the most enduring images of hope.

Although unwilling to be called a hero, choosing to focus on the work of his colleagues, Berlyn is clearly more than just in the right place at the right time.

The thousands of people he has rescued would no doubt agree.