Audiences shared their shock and horror when they saw his death crash of a South African Air Force pilot decorated at a local air show, reminiscing about his final moments.
James O'Connell died after a flying plane crashed during a performance at the West Coast Air Show at Sardanha, 112 km (70 miles) north of Cape Town over the weekend.
Organizers said O'Connell was running “regular displays” on his retired military aircraft when “a sudden loss of altitude and entered a sudden dive.”
In honor of the veteran former Air Force pilot, an investigation into the accident is underway.
O'Connell's crash was captured by numerous videos and images that have been widely shared on social media.
For one, you can see the Impala Mark 1, a 68-year-old aircraft, flying upside down before returning to its original position and nose diving towards the ground.
We then see a massive cloud of smoke and fire as they hit the ground, but we hear shock gasps from the crowd watching.
Commentator Brian Emenis, who attends the show and runs comments on O'Connell's performance, can be heard urging the surprised crowd to “settle and stay where you are.”
Speaking to the BBC two days after the horrifying crash, Mr. Emenis shared the final exchange with the decorated pilot.
Emenis said he had known O'Connell as a test pilot for the South African Air Force since the latter period.
He said O'Connell worked in the Air Force for nearly 30 years before moving to the Test Flying Academy (TFASA) in South Africa where he worked as a chief flight instructor and headed the Test Pilot School. The Academy confirmed that the Impala is one of the exhibitors.
“James O'Connell was an incredible test pilot… a very popular guy (and) a thorough expert, but he's a great friend and a good guy to work with,” he told the BBC on Monday.
Emenis said the pair spoke before they spoke about O'Connell's upcoming performance.
He noted that O'Connell was a “good heartfelt framework” at this point.
“Like he's been a taxi in the past… my words (to him) were “I have an exhibition (exhibition) to display my friends” and he (“Thank you): “Thank you.” ”
Emenis later explained that in a statement released by the West Coast Air Show organizers, O'Connell went on a “dirty composition.”
“But when he turned I realized the aircraft was under the nose and it was worrying about me. I stopped talking. I thought, 'Wow, he's low and he's jumping into the ground,' so sadly, that's exactly what happened.
The experienced commentator said he felt shocked and devastated throughout the aviation industry during the news of O'Connell's death.
“South Africa is devastated. In fact, not just South Africa, I've been calling all of them (the world): Aviation is a small world, a sibling band.
It's too early to guess exactly what went wrong, but he reasoned that as a “highly qualified test pilot,” O'Connell didn't try anything he didn't think he could manage.
“If you don't know what it is, I think no one will do that kind of manipulation,” he said.
Clive Coetzee, organizer of the West Coast Air Show, said he was “deeply saddened by the event,” and spoke about the shocking effects he had on participants as well as other participants.
Among them was a young pilot set up to do his first show on the same day, but retreated when he witnessed Mr. O'Connell's crash.
And while Coetzee only met O'Connell on the day of his fateful accident, he described him as “funny guy” and “very nice” based on the final chat.
Both men declined to comment on Impala's track record, but Emenis said:
The Impala is a retired Air Force aircraft that first arrived in the sky in 1957.
O'Connell's main tribute was TFASA, who described him as a “true aviation legend” with 36 years of flying experience.
More BBC stories about South Africa:
(Getty Images/BBC)
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