Three feared dead as CAA plane crashes near George
Image: CAA
Three people are believed to have died when a plane operated by the South African Civil Aviation Authority crashed on Thursday.
Aviation sources told TimesLIVE the Cessna Citation, which was used for calibration of airport systems, went down in the mountainous Eight Bells area near Mossel Bay.
The CAA confirmed that it had not been able to make contact with its flight inspection unit aircraft which took off from George Airport earlier.
"The crew, two males and one female, took off at 10.40 (local time) from the George Airport on a flight calibration mission of navigational aids of the same airport," said a statement.
"The air traffic control tower could not make contact with the aircraft 10 minutes after take-off.
"The Air Traffic and Navigation Services immediately activated search and rescue. The regulator is in contact with the search and rescue team for further updates.
"The SACAA will issue further update later today."
This is a developing story.