F
or Commander Jacob N Smith, accomplished
South African Air Force pilot and holder of
the Distinguished Flying Cross, the 90-minute
flight from Stamford Hill Airport, Durban, to
Palmietfontein, east of Johannesburg, was routine. Among those
on board was Smith’s wife – the mother of their five children –
and several members of Mercury Airways staff, some of whom
were thought to have been on a familiarisation trip. There were
also three fare-paying passengers.
The Douglas DC-3-455, construction number 6341 with the
registration ZS-BWY, named City of Durban, took off at 0623hrs
and was due in at Palmietfontein (now Oliver Thambo Airport)
at 0753hrs. The aircraft flew over Rosedale Farm, owned by
Willem Botha, 23 miles (37km) from the hamlet of Memel, in
what was then the Orange Free State, at 0720hrs.
A few moments later the DC-3 collided with Spitzberg
mountain, the most westerly of the Witkoppe peaks on the edge
of the Drakensberg mountains. The aircraft was later found to
be eight miles off its course.
In May 2000, 52 years after the incident, the Johannesburg-
based Sunday Times newspaper published an article by journalist
Tim Couzens. In it, he said: “The incident was witnessed by aMrs Botha of the Rosedale farm, who had been in her kitchen
when she heard an unusual droning noise approaching. As she
reached the kitchen’s doorway to investigate, she caught a fleeting
glimpse of a plane as it emerged momentarily from the early
morning mist. The plane’s altitude was apparently so low that
its wings were clipping the nearby pine trees. As it disappeared
Mrs Botha heard a crashing sound, akin to a wooden chair being
smashed on a cement floor.
“Piloted by Cmdr J N Smith, who had repeatedly asked
Palmietfontein for homing bearings, the plane had been flying
practically blind since take-off due to the bad weather conditions
experienced en route.
"Records revealed that the last bearing had been transmitted by
Palmietfontein at 07.33 but was not confirmed or acknowledged
by Cmdr Smith, as was required.
“Although not overly alarmed initially, Palmietfontein
expressed concern after an hour however and notified the Civil
Aviation Council. The South African Air Force’s No 2 Air
Wing stationed at Zwartkop AB was placed on high alert as it
dawned on them that they were possibly facing the single biggest
air accident in South Africa up to that point.”
For my family that article held special significance, as myA few feet higher...
T
im Couzens’ newspaper story also sheds
some light on what may have happened
on that misty, rainy morning in May 1948.
“One theory suggested that the storm had caused
the altimeter to ‘over read’ (an apparently frequent
occurrence during storms) resulting in a reading of
8,000ft (2,438m) as opposed to the actual reading
of 7,000ft (2,134m).”
However, Mercury Airways’ policy was to fly at
a minimum of 1,500ft (457m) above terrain and
Commander Smith would have been acutely awareof the effect storms had on altimeters.
“Another theory was that the crew may not have
been aware of a north-easterly headwind that had
developed which would have slowed the aircraft,
prompting the pilot to descend to a lower altitude
in the belief that he was safely over the Witkoppe
(White Summits) when he was in fact still among
them. Had this been the case, he would have
been justified in his actions as there was no major
obstacle beyond this mountain range en route to
his destination.”The article continued: “Save for a section of
fuselage bearing the registration ZS-BWY and
the tail, the plane had completely disintegrated.
Victims’ watches and the plane’s smashed
instrument panel stopped between 07.25 and
07.38. Only the pilot would have seen death
approaching and then only for a split second. One
or two passengers were found with their hands
still in their pockets. A few feet higher or a few
hundred feet to the left or right and they would
have arrived at their destination safely.”http://www.airlinerworld.com 37Mercury Airways
Douglas DC-3
ZS-BW Y gropes its
way through the poor
weather towards
Palmietfontein on the
morning of May 15,- Moments later
it would collide with
Spitzberg mountain,
claiming the lives of all
13 aboard.
A H /.
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