PIPER SENECA PA-34 CRASHES IN BEIRA KILLING SIX

UNCLAS MAPUTO 000914 SIPDIS STATE FOR EEB/TRA STATE PLEASE PASS TO DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION AND NTSB E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAIR MZ SUBJECT: PIPER SENECA PA-34 CRASHES IN BEIRA KILLING SIX ¶1. According to news reports and eye-witness accounts, a U.S.-made twin engine PA-34-220T Piper Seneca, registered in Durban, South Africa as ZS-LTX, crashed at 14:30 on Saturday September 20, approximately 30 meters offshore from the seaside Palmeiras neighborhood on the outskirts of Beira in Sofala province, en route to Beira International Airport (BEW) from Quelimane Airport (UEL). Contacts in Mozambique's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) confirmed to PolEconoff that there were 2 pilots and 4 passengers. There were no survivors, and the victims have been identified in news reports as South African citizens Louisa Suzana, Daniel Johane, Wilson Zao, and Michel Paul. As of yet, the CAA has not requested NTSB assistance. ¶2. The CAA is currently carrying out an investigation into the cause of the crash, and has yet to identify the owner of the plane. South African High Commission contacts told Emboffs that they also have not located the owner. The plane has been transported from the crash site to Beira International Airport. Initial reports suggest that the plane may have run out of fuel, though eye-witnesses indicated that the plane,s pilot may have been attempting stunt maneuvers before losing control of the aircraft. One eyewitness (a professional pilot who lives near Beira) reported that there were no signs of fuel leakage, with two intact blades--one feathered, the other not. According to South African Civil Aviation Authority records, the plane was last involved in a minor accident on landing at Sishen Aerodrome, South Africa on 10 March 2005. Chapman