HARARE – A pilot tragically killed during an aerobatic display near Harare on Tuesday has been named as South African Mark Sampson.
Sampson, a member of the Marksmen Aerobatic Team, died after his Yak-55 plane crashed at Charles Prince Airport near Harare.
In a statement, the Marksmen Aerobatic Team said Sampson was “an outstanding aviator, honoured team member, trusted ‘Number 4’ and loyal friend.”
“The Marksmen Aerobatic Team were on the return leg of a roundabout trip from Cape Town to Nairobi, where the team had performed a successful aerobatic formation display at the Kenyan Défense Force (KDF) Museum Airshow, held in conjunction with the Aero Club of East Africa,” the statement said.
Mark Hensman, the leader of the team, said he was “devastated.”
The Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe has launched an investigation into the incident.
Tens of spectators watched Sampson skillfully manoeuvre his plane as it performed a series of aerobatic stunts. Seconds before the crash, the plan appeared to pick up altitude – perhaps to perform a final aerobatic loop – but it quickly veered out of control and tumbled to the ground nose-first.
