TWO BRITISH RESEARCHERS DIE IN AIRCRAFT CRASH - nbc

Описание: Two British researchers have died in an aircraft accident four kilometers from Gobabeb Namib Research Institute in the Namib Desert on Wednesday.

The deceased are British nationals Alan Martin Wilson (62) and Neil Thomas Oakman (63).
The researchers arrived on the 25th of February to conduct research at Gobabeb.

It is reported that on Wednesday, at about 17h00, they took off to look for animal collars in the dunes.

Police say that at about 19h00, another British researcher who stayed behind at Gobabeb got worried that Wilson and Oakcman took so long to return to the center.

He informed the head of the center to start searching around the area, and they later discovered a crashed aircraft at the Gobabeb airstrip.

The police were informed, and the bodies were transported to the Walvis Bay police mortuary for further investigations.

Investigators were dispatched to the accident scene, which happened approximately 100 km from Walvis Bay.


"It's an ultra-light aircraft; it's Italian-made, and it's a Groppo aircraft. It's registered in the UK based on the registration, so the nationality of the pilot is British. We are still confirming all the facts, and as soon as we confirm everything, we will be able to give you more details." Deputy Director of Aircraft Accident Investigation Hafeni Mweshixwa explained.

Colleagues at the Gobabeb center expressed shock and sadness at the tragic accident.

In a statement, they said the tragedy involved an outstanding scientist and a highly experienced pilot who were returning from an observation flight.