South African Airways Flight 406

South African Airways Flight 406

A Viscount 806, similar to the accident aircraft
Accident
Date	13 March 1967 (1967-03-13)
Summary	Loss of control for unknown reasons; possible pilot incapacitation or in-flight structural failure
Site	Indian Ocean off Kayser's Beach, Cape Province, South Africa 33°13.45′S 27°38.3′E / 33.22417°S 27.6383°E / -33.22417; 27.6383
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Vickers Viscount 818
Aircraft name	Rietbok
Operator	South African Airways
Registration	ZS-CVA
Flight origin	H.F. Verwoerd Airport, Port Elizabeth
1st stopover	Ben Schoeman Airport, East London
2nd stopover	J.B.M. Hertzog Airport, Bloemfontein
Destination	Jan Smuts Int'l Airport, Johannesburg
Occupants	25
Passengers	20
Crew	5
Fatalities	25
Survivors	0

South African Airways Flight 406, also known as The Rietbok Crash, was a scheduled passenger flight on 13 March 1967 that crashed into the sea on approach to East London, South Africa. All 25 passengers and crew on board were killed. The cause of the accident was never determined. However, the air accident report speculated, without supporting evidence, that the captain of the plane suffered a heart attack while on approach and the first officer was unable to regain control of the aircraft.^[1] Like the crash of South African Airways Flight 295 two decades later, there was, and still is great contention about the ultimate cause of the aircraft accident.^[2]