Cracked exhaust pipe may have been cause of Flightline Charter Service crash - Brief Article

Airline Industry Information, Jan 24, 2000

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2000 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

A preliminary report into the crash of a Piper Chieftan aircraft that killed ten people at Rand Airport, South Africa in December 1999 has revealed that the exhaust pipe of the right engine had a crack.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) maintains that this mechanical fault may have caused the accident and has also asserted that the aircraft was overloaded. Both accusations have been rejected by Flightline Charter Service, the company that owned the aircraft.

Flightline Charter Service has now complained of being sidelined during the investigations and has suggested that the CAA may not have complied with regulations regarding how the investigation was conducted and disclosure to the public.

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