By Everson Luhanga
- A South African Air Force plane lost a fuselage door shortly after taking off from Lanseria Airport, in Johannesburg.
- The door was later found on a nearby farm, with no injuries or damage reported, say officials.
A South African Air Force aircraft lost one of its doors mid-air after taking off from Lanseria International Airport — and somehow, it still managed to land safely.
The door came off a B200C King Air from the 41 Squadron on 11 April, just minutes after it left the airport north of Johannesburg.
Defence spokesperson Prince Tshabalala said the door was later found on a farm not far from the airport.
“The door has been retrieved and taken to Air Force Base Waterkloof. There was no damage to infrastructure and no one was hurt, as confirmed by the farm owner,” said Tshabalala.
The plane was on a maintenance flight and managed to return safely to Waterkloof.
DefenceWeb reported that ExecuJet, based at Lanseria, has a contract to maintain the King Air fleet. The deal runs from December 2023 to March 2026 and is worth up to R95 million.
The aircraft involved — with registration 650 — had recently received upgraded engines and a refurbished cabin. But it had also suffered fuel cell leaks and needed repairs before returning to service.
There are four King Air aircraft in the South African Air Force fleet. It’s not clear if number 650 will remain in use after the incident.
Last month, Scrolla.Africa reported that a strange metal part — possibly from an aircraft — was found in the sea near Durban. No local airline has claimed it, and some believe it could be from missing flight MH370.
Pictured above: A door of an aeroplane that was found at a farm in Lanseria, north of Johannesburg.
Image source: Supplied to DefenceWeb
