A light Piper PA-28-181 Archer II aircraft (registration ZS-KFB) that went missing after departing Virginia Airport in Durban on Sunday afternoon has been found crashed, with all three people on board confirmed dead, including a student pilot.
The plane was last tracked over Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, en route south toward Pietermaritzburg or Greytown. The aeroplane was on a flight with ZS-CZU when both were heard attempting to divert to Greytown after being unable to land and Ladysmith. ZS-CZU sustained substantial damage in a forced landing and both occupants suffered minor injuries.
The Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre located the wreckage on Monday.
KwaZulu-Natal Transport MEC Siboniso Duma extended condolences to the victims’ families. The cause of the crash is under investigation by police and the South African Civil Aviation Authority.
23-year-old student pilot Nqobile Biyela and two other people were killed in a light aircraft crash in Rietvlei, KZN. Their aircraft and two others were part of a loose formation that departed from Virginia Airport in Durban, headed for Pretoria yesterday. @eNCA pic.twitter.com/OV58Gws3ew
— Nkosi Malinga-Mnisi (@MnisiNkosikhona) June 9, 2025