Last moments of South African James O’Connel’s pilot to crash

The audience shared their shock and horror, watching the South African Air Force, a local air shows, while they remembered his last moments.

James O’Connell died after the plane he was flying, crashed during a performance on the West Coast, which took place in the balance, 112 km (70 miles) north of Cape Town, last weekend.

According to the organizers, Mr. O’Conneel conducted a “ordinary display” on a retired military plane when “felt a sudden height loss and entered a steep dive.”

Currently, an investigation into the accident is being conducted as the tribute is poured for an experienced Air Force pilot.

The crash of D -O’Connela has been made by numerous videos and images that have been widespread in social media since then.

In one, 68-year-old plane, Impala Mark 1, you can see how he flight upside down before returning to his original position and then diving the nose to the ground.

Then, when it erupts to the ground, you can see a huge cloud of smoke and fire, while the crowd is shocking.

Brian Emmenis Air Show commentator, who attended the exhibition and submitted comments on Mr. O’Connela’s performance, can be heard to call on the stunned crowd “stay calm and stay where you are”.

Speaking before the BBC two days after the terrible crash, Mr. Emmenis shared his last exchange with a decorated pilot.

Mr. Emmenis said he knew Mr. O’Connela since the latter as an experimental pilot in the Air Force South Africa.

According to him, Mr. O’Conneel worked at the Air Force almost three decades before moving to the South African Test Academy (Tfasa), where he worked as a chief flight instructor and was the head of the pilot school. The Academy confirmed that Impala was one of its displays.

“James O’Conwell was an incredible dough pilot … a very popular guy (and) careful professional, but also a wonderful friend and a good guy you need to work with,” he said at the BBC on Monday.

Mr Emmenis said the couple told about the future speech of Mr. O’Connel before he flew.

At that moment, Mr. O’Conell was “in a good mood,” he said.

“As he went into the past … My words (he) were:” Good (display) my friend, “and he (replied):” Thank you. “

Later, Mr. Emmenis explained in a statement by the organizers of the West Coast Air Show that Mr. O’Conneel entered the “dirty configuration” – described as a step where lowness – where he turned the plane and “failure dropped.”

“But when he turned, I saw that the plane was in the nose and it was concerned. I stopped talking, and I thought, because he thought, he was low and down to the ground,” and, unfortunately, it happened. And I waited and suddenly saw the flames, I never heard the impact, I saw it too far. “

An experienced commentator described the shock and devastation that was felt in the aviation industry after Mr. O’Connela’s death.

“South Africa is devastated. In fact, not only South Africa – I was called from all over (the world). Aviation is a small world, and this is a group of brothers … especially (B) flying, because it is usually the best that chooses to make these displays.”

Although it is too early to think about what it went wrong, he thought that as a “highly skilled pilot”, Mr. O’Connel would not try to try anything that he thought he could manage.

“I don’t think anyone will do such a maneuver if you didn’t know what it was,” he said.

Klave Caetzi, the organizer of the Western Coast, said he was “deeply upset” and told about the shocking effect he had not only on participants but also other participants.

Among them was a young pilot who was ready to do his first show on the same day, but pulled out when he witnessed Mr. O’Conella.

And while Mr. Coetzee only met Mr O’Connel on the day of the fateful accident, he called him a “funny guy” and “very pleasant” based on their last chat.

Both men refused to comment on the import services, but Mr. Emmenis said: “It was kept in a flawless state, and when a test school took it, they deprived it and checked any shortcomings. So there was nothing wrong with that, it was absolutely perfect.”

Impala is a pensioner aircraft that first came to the sky in 1957.

The leading tribute to Mr. O’Connela were Tfasa, who called it a “real aviation legend” with a 36 -year flight.