Robert Simms. (Operationsimms)
Bryan Simms and his son Robert in the cockpit of a Concorde on a recent family visit to New York. Photo: Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/BryanRobSimms
Johannesburg - The two bodies found at a site of a wreckage in
Mozambique have been positively identified as those of pilots Bryan
Simms and his son Robert, their family said in a statement on Wednesday.
"An investigation will be conducted into the circumstances of the accident and details of this will be released by the authorities," the Simms family said.
Their remains would be brought back to South Africa for a post mortem examination and cremation.
The two pilots went missing on 27 October. They were travelling from Malawi to Lanseria airport, north of Johannesburg, and were last heard of when their Baron 58 was near Beira, in Mozambique.
Shortly before the plane went missing, Simms senior said in a radio message that he was experiencing problems with one of the engines.
The pair indicated they were ceasing communication to focus on their cockpit.
Destroyed aircraft
The Simms family was notified on Monday that the wreckage had been found about 127km north of Chimoio, following a tip-off from a local.
"It appears that the aircraft impacted the ground at a high angle and was completely destroyed in the accident," they said.
During the search operation, which lasted for three weeks, a reward of $5 000 (about R43 000) was offered to any villager who found the missing plane.
Details surrounding the reward were pending and would be dealt with by the Mozambican search team in the area.
"The family wish to thank all the persons involved in the search for their dedication and commitment in continuing the search on a volunteer basis."
A memorial fly-past is scheduled for Friday. Bryan specifically requested that his memorial service be a happy event and his family asked attendees to not wear sombre attire.
"An investigation will be conducted into the circumstances of the accident and details of this will be released by the authorities," the Simms family said.
Their remains would be brought back to South Africa for a post mortem examination and cremation.
The two pilots went missing on 27 October. They were travelling from Malawi to Lanseria airport, north of Johannesburg, and were last heard of when their Baron 58 was near Beira, in Mozambique.
Shortly before the plane went missing, Simms senior said in a radio message that he was experiencing problems with one of the engines.
The pair indicated they were ceasing communication to focus on their cockpit.
Destroyed aircraft
The Simms family was notified on Monday that the wreckage had been found about 127km north of Chimoio, following a tip-off from a local.
"It appears that the aircraft impacted the ground at a high angle and was completely destroyed in the accident," they said.
During the search operation, which lasted for three weeks, a reward of $5 000 (about R43 000) was offered to any villager who found the missing plane.
Details surrounding the reward were pending and would be dealt with by the Mozambican search team in the area.
"The family wish to thank all the persons involved in the search for their dedication and commitment in continuing the search on a volunteer basis."
A memorial fly-past is scheduled for Friday. Bryan specifically requested that his memorial service be a happy event and his family asked attendees to not wear sombre attire.
The wreck of an aircraft was found at a remote area near Moia in Mozambique by villagers who alerted authorities after hearing a radio report about the two missing men.
"The site is extremely difficult to identify, even from the air,” Richard Maier, a pilot who previously headed up a search for the two, told News24.
"The only part of the aircraft that was identifiable was a propeller."
The bodies of two people were seen at the burn-out wreck, but still had to be identified.
Bryan Simms, 60, of Midrand, and his son, Rob, 22, were last heard from on 28 October 2012, when their light aircraft - reportedly a small Baron 55 - went missing over Mozambique's vast province of Tete en route to Lanseria airport, north of Johannesburg.
Shortly before the plane went missing, Bryan said in a radio message that he had problems with one of the engines.
Left behind
The Simms family said in a statement that they received news that a plane wreck was found in Mozambique by a villager, and that neither occupants survived.
"We are awaiting positive legal identification. The outpouring of support, hope and love from you all has helped to sustain us," a post on a Facebook page dedicated to the search said.
Bryan's wife Lillian said in a post: "Bryan and Rob died doing what they loved best,"
"You are both as free as a bird, you are together. You have left a massive void in our lives but you live in our hearts and minds forever."
http://www.news24.com
Johannesburg - More than three weeks after their aircraft disappeared over rural Mozambique, the wreckage of Midrand pilot Bryan Simms and his son Robert have been found. Neither survived the crash.
The father and son team were ferrying a Baron 58 - a twin-engine light aircraft - from Uganda to South Africa when they disappeared on October 28.
That morning, the plane had reported engine trouble while flying over Mozambique. It would divert to Beira. The pilots cut radio contact to focus on the cockpit.
They had intended to land at Lanseria Airport that night but they didn’t arrive.
A joint South Africa-Mozambique search-and-rescue operation ensued, but it stalled. The plane was suspected to have gone down in a remote and wooded area. The operation was called off a week later.
A group of volunteers rallied to continue the hunt privately, and raised over R500 000 in funds and equipment.
Last week, the family offered a reward for any information that could lead to their return.
On Tuesday, they released a statement: “Yesterday afternoon [Monday] the Simms family received the news that the plane wreck was found in Mozambique by a local villager. Neither Bryan nor Robert survived the impact. We are awaiting positive legal identification.”
Bryan ran his own aviation business. According to a website set up to co-ordinate the search, he was “a skilled and passionate pilot, who is extremely safety conscious and has more than 8 000 hours logged”. Robert, 22, was the youngest of Bryan’s three children.
He shared his father’s love for flying and studied as an avionics technician after school. He finished his commercial pilot exams this year and was working on building up his flying hours.
The family asked on Tuesday that their privacy be respected.
Widow and mother Lillian Simms posted on Facebook that the pair had died “doing what they loved best”.
“You are both as free as a bird,” she wrote.
“You are together. You have left a massive void in our lives but you live in our hearts and minds forever.”
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