Red Bull 300 Airplane Went Down During Performance In Johannesburg

A South African Airways (SAA) pilot was fatally injured over the weekend when the Red Bull 300 airplane he was flying in the Secunda Airshow in Mpumalanga province in South Africa went down during a performance.

The pilot was identified as Glen Dell. South Africa's Eye Witness News reports that he suffered multiple burn wounds over his entire body in the accident. Witnesses said the airplane recovered from a dive, but then the engine appeared to fail. The airplane reportedly slid over 150 on the ground before erupting in flames.

The online site Live Leak reports that some of Dell's family and friends say first responders took over three minutes to arrive at the accident scene, and have some responsibility for the pilot's death.

Dell had been a commercial airline instructor as well as an aerobatic pilot. He finished first overall at the Advanced World Aerobatic Championships (AWAC) in 2004, and competed in the Red Bull Air Race series in 2007.

He had joined SAA in 1988, and was qualified to fly both 747s and 767s for the airline.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

(Red Bull air race image from file.  Not accident airplane)

FMI: www.caa.co.za