GEORGE NEWS FLASH - Qianlong Zhang (23), a Chinese cadet pilot based at the AVIC-International Flight Training Academy (AIFA) in George, died in a light aircraft accident shortly after take-off from the Port Elizabeth Airport on Saturday 7 November at 13:15 local time.
Zhang, from Suzhou in Anhui Province, was doing his pilot training for Juneyao Airlines, a domestic carrier based in Shanghai, China.
Willem Marais, chief executive officer of the AVIC-International Flight Training Academy, said Zhang, who was flying solo, was piloting a four-seater Piper Cherokee that developed engine problems and, on an attempt to land back at Port Elizabeth, he clipped the airport perimeter fence, causing the fatal accident.
More information to follow as it becomes available.
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