Hamnet joined search for missing plane

On Friday evening 9 January around 19:30, South Africa's Amateur Radio Emergency service Hamnet received information from the South African Search and Rescue Organisation (SASAR) regarding an aircraft reported overdue at Lanseria airport that afternoon.

The plane, a two-seater Cessna on a private flight from a game farm near Dwaalboom in the Limpopo province to Lanseria airport near Randburg, did not lodge a flight plan, as the flight should only take about 30 to 45 minutes.

The plane left the farm around 12:30 and was sighted on radar until it reached a point roughly 27 km north of the Pilanesberg range. This was the last sighting.

AT&NS asked Hamnet to institute a visual sighting search by involving farmers in the flight path area, should any of them have heard or seen anything.

HAMNET member Hans Potgieter, ZS6ALJ, in the Rustenburg area was alerted to take the necessary action.

For the full story, listen to the weekly Hamnet report on Amateur Radio Mirror or download the audio file from www.sarl.org.za, click on activities and select HAMNET.