The 2004 Bell 206L-4 Long Ranger helicopter that crashed in the Polokwane Game Reserve. Photo: Barry Viljoen
POLOKWANE – A 2004 Bell 206L-4 Long Ranger helicopter with registration number ZS-RAC crashed in the Polokwane Game Reserve earlier this morning (February 5).
The pilot was the only person on board and was killed, according to an emergency service source on the scene.
The helicopter before the crash on Wednesday.Photo Credit: Nick Dean Internet
Another source on the scene told the Polokwane Observer that the aircraft was en route from Zimbabwe on a routine flight when the accident occurred.
The South African Police Service was on the scene to gather evidence for an investigation and the South African Civil Aviation Authority has been notified.
More details will be published in the Polokwane Observer print edition on February 13.
Raeesa Sempe is a Caxton Award-winning Digital Editor with nine years’ experience in the industry. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Media Studies from the University of the Witwatersrand and started her journey as a community journalist for the Polokwane Review in 2015. She then became the online journalist for the Review in 2016 where she excelled in solidifying the Review’s digital footprint through Facebook lives, content creation and marketing campaigns. Raeesa then moved on to become the News Editor of the Bonus Review in 2019 and scooped up the Editorial Employee of the Year award in the same year. She is the current Digital Editor of the Polokwane Review-Observer, a position she takes pride in. Raeesa is married with one child and enjoys spending time with friends, listening to music and baking – when she has the time. “I still believe that if your aim is to change the world, journalism is a more immediate short-term weapon." – Tom Stoppard
