eMalahleni joined in the search

eMalahleni community got together as one and helped in the search for a pilot who went missing on Friday.
On Sunday, October 18 in the late afternoon the plane wreckage and the body of the young pilot was found in the mountain range of Mariepskop.

Jannes Scheepers (23) apparently wanted to fly over Mariepskop near the Blyde River Canyon, but due to thick mist he flew into the mountain.
The wreckage was found 60km from Graskop.

Scheepers a pilot from Johannesburg left on Friday, October 16 at approximately 06:00 from Wonderboom airport for a normal flight before he had to return to work at 12:00.
He never arrived at work and his concerned colleagues started to worry about him as no one had heard from him. All they knew that he had taken off for a routine flight early that morning.
Scheepers mother Ms Antoinette Ackerman is a medical doctor in Johannesburg.
Ackerman was notified Friday afternoon by Scheepers employer when he did not arrive at work.
Captain Eddie Hall, spokesperson from Witbank SAPS was noticed about the missing Beechcraft Bonanza early on Saturday morning, October 17.

The body of Jannes Scheepers (23) and his plane wreckage was found on Sunday, October 18 in the mountain range of Mariepskop. Photo: Facebook.

He immediately let everyone know about the disappearance and the search started.
Pilots from Witbank Aeronautical Association took to the sky while members from Witbank 911, Witbank Community Policing Forum and community members started searching for the missing plane on the ground.

“Some CPF members went up in their own plane’s while members of the CPF made groups and started the search on the ground, as they drove in and out of veldt,” said Hall.

Middelburg Airfield also started a search; there were Military and SAPS helicopters in the air.
The total distance covered was 2 500km² in the search for the missing plane.
With no luck of finding the plane in this area, the search spread further towards Nelspruit, Graskop area.

Scheepers attended St Stithians College where he graduated in 2011.
Dr Pieter Scheepers, is Scheepers father in Nelspruit who is a Maxillo-Facial and Oral Surgeon.

View the video of the search HERE: