The tragic loss of the Helderberg, Flight SAA295, 24 November 1980

It’s 33 years since the tragic day we heard the shocking news of the Helderberg air disaster.

The Aircraft was a Boeing 747-244BM Combi registered ZS-SAS and named Helderberg. This aircraft made its first flight on 12 November 1980 and was delivered to South African Airways on 24 November 1980.

The Boeing 747-200B Combi model permits the mixing of passengers and cargo on the main deck according to load factors on any given route and Class B cargo compartment regulations. Flight 295 had six pallets of cargo on the main deck. The master waybills stated that 47,000 kilograms (104,000 lb) of baggage and cargo were loaded on the aircraft. A Taiwanese customs official performed a surprise inspection of some of the cargo; he did not find any cargo that could be characterised as suspicious. The cargo purportedly consisted of computer parts and other electronics, paper, textiles, medicine, and sports equipment.

The aircraft took off at 2:23 p.m. UTC. on 27 November 1987 from Taipei Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport, on a flight to Johannesburg via Mauritius.

The flight crew consisted of 49-year-old Captain Dawie Uys, with 13,843 hours' experience; 36-year-old first officer David Attwell and 37-year-old relief first officer Geoffrey Birchall, with 7,362 and 8,749 hours' experience respectively; and 45-year-old flight engineer, Giuseppe "Joe" Bellagarda and 34-year-old relief flight engineer, Alan Daniel, with 7,804 hours and 1,595 hours of experience respectively.

Thirty-four minutes after departure, the crew contacted Hong Kong air traffic control to obtain clearance from waypoint ELATO (22°19′N 117°30′E) to ISBAN. A position report was made over ELATO at 15:03:25, followed by waypoints SUNEK at 15:53:52, ADMARK at 16:09:54 and SUKAR (12°22′N 110°54′E) at 16:34:47. The aircraft made a routine report to the South African Airways base at Johannesburg at 15:55:18.

Nine hours into the flight, as flight 295 cruised high above a remote stretch of ocean, air traffic controllers at Plaisance Airport in Mauritius received a distress call from the Helderberg. It was 3:49 a.m. local time. A fire had developed in the cargo section on the main deck which was probably not extinguished before impact. The 'smoke evacuation' checklist calls for the aircraft to be depressurised, and for two of the cabin doors to be opened. No evidence exists that the checklist was followed, or that the doors were opened. A crew member might have gone into the cargo hold to try to fight the fire as a charred fire extinguisher was later recovered from the wreckage on which investigators found molten metal.

The fire started to destroy the aircraft's important electrical systems, resulting in loss of communication and control of the aircraft. At exactly 00:07 UTC (4:07 local time), the aircraft broke apart in mid-air, the tail section breaking off first, due to the fire beginning to burn the structure of the aircraft, and crashed into the Indian Ocean, about 134 nautical miles (154 miles) from the Airport. Other theories given for the ultimate demise of the aircraft were that the flight crew eventually became incapacitated by the smoke and fire or extensive damage to the 747's control systems rendered the plane uncontrollable before it hit the ocean.

After communication with Flight 295 was lost for 36 minutes, at 00:44 (04:44 local time), Air Traffic Control at Mauritius formally declared an emergency.

The place of the accident has been recorded as “In the Indian Ocean 134 nautical miles North-East of Plaisance Airport, Mauritius”. The date and time at approximately 00:07:00 November 28th 1987. The local time was 04:07. This time was determined from 2 damaged wrist watches recovered from hand baggage.

There were 159 persons on board. 140 were passengers and 19 crew members, comprising 5 flight crew members (including an extra co-pilot and an extra flight engineer) and 14 cabin crew members. There were no survivors.

There have been a number of conspiracy theories over the years, the most popular of which holds that the government of the time, concealed the fact that it was using commercial planes, including the Helderberg, to illegally transport arms, as it was under an arms embargo. Whatever the theories, the fact remains that hundreds of families were left to mourn the loss of their loved ones and friends. May they all rest in eternal peace.

The 19 South African crew members on board

• Manuel M. de Almeida - Cabin Attendant
• David H. Attwell – First Officer
• Giuseppe “Joe” M. Bellagarda – Flight Engineer
• Geoffrey Birchall – First Officer
• Hermanus L. K. Burger – Cabin Controller
• Peter Lindsay Cramb – Cabin Attendant
• Alan George Daniel – Flight Engineer
• Andries R. Kellerman – Cabin Attendant
• Martha Magdalena Kruger – Cabin Attendant
• Sandra Laurens – Cabin Attendant
• Jo Anne McEwen – Cabin Attendant
• O’Brien – Cabin Attendant
  • Schalekamp – Cabin Attendant
• Estelle L. Schalekamp – Cabin Attendant
• M. Van Schalkwyk – Senior Cabin Controller
• Fleur Strijdom – Cabin Controller
• Dawie J. Uys – Captain
• Johannes A. A. Van Zyl - Cabin Controller
• F. Van der Westhuizen – Cabin Attendant

42 South African Passengers on board (the balance were all Foreign Passport holders)

• Gina K. Ackermann
• Samantha M. Ackermann
• Bennett
• Boardman
• P. Boshoff
• Bow
• W. Britz
• Joseph Achill R. Daniel
  • Das Neves
• Jean Dodds
• Estelle Grix
• Hayward
• Colin Aubrey Hesqua
• Stephen Malcolm Hutton
• Kana
• Christopher Liddle
• Cornelius Lottering
• Valerie Lottering
• Adriaan Carter Louw
• Ruth Machlup
• Joseph “Jossie” Samuel Marcus
• Heather McNeill
  • MacRobert
• Ming
  • Mohammed
• Moss
• Thomas Barry Osler
• Lauren Pillemer
• Poking
• Keith Prince
• Trevor Anthony Sales
• Sanderson
• Mahomed Saleh Shaik
• Share – (his photo is included with the Crew photographs)
• G. Smith
• Isabella J. C. Swanepoel
• Jacob Pier Swanepoel
• Paul Theron
• Tobias
• M. Wills
• R. Wolff
• Wright

Foreign Passport Holders – (some may have lived in South Africa)

• Banens (Netherlands)
• T. Chan (Hong Kong)
• Y. Cheong (Mauritius)
• Cruikshanks (UK)
• Cruikshanks (UK)
• Denny (UK)
• A. Dodds (UK)
• Ferrao (Portugal)
• P. Gerstl (West Germany)
• Harvey (UK)
• W. Herf (West Germany)
• Huang (China)
• Ikonen (Denmark)
• H. Lam (Hong Kong)
• Kim (Korea)
• Marshall (Australia)
• M. Meuller (Swiss)
• G. Murless (USA)
• Peter Otzen (Denmark)
• F. Rostom (Mauritius)
• K. Selkirk (UK)
• Stein (West Germany)

The balance of the passengers were Chinese and Japanese Passport Holders. Please see photographs attached which include these names.

Sources

• Wikipedia
• Saturday Star – 20 Sep 2014
• The South African Jewish Report
• With Malice & Forethought
• Book: “Surviving Flight 295 - Life After The Helderberg” - Dominique Luck, Joanne Lillie
• Report of the Board of Inquiry into the Helderberg Air Disaster – Margo Report
• Researchgate - Marine litter in the West Indian Ocean Region: First regional assessment – (page 23 - Gründlingh Report-1989)
• Weekend Star 21-22 Jan 1995
• Notes from Bev Lawrence with thanks