Terrifying footage has emerged from inside a vintage plane as it slammed into the ground in a horror crash that left two dead and a pair of Australian pilots fighting for life.
Douglas Haywood and Ross Kelly were among 19 people aboard the Convair CV-340 aircraft when crashed into a dairy farm last week near South Africa’s administrative capital, Pretoria.
Confronting mobile phone footage, obtained by news.com.au and captured by a passenger sitting near the left wing, showed the plane’s engine engulfed in flames just seconds before impact.
‘This is getting bad. This is getting very, very bad,’ the man said in the video before he and a female passenger began speaking in Afrikaans.
Terrifying footage has emerged from inside a vintage plane (engine is seen on fire) as it slammed into the ground in a crash that left two dead and two Australian pilots fighting for life
Ross Kelly and wife Lyndal Kelly (pictured left) were among 19 injured after the plane crash in Pretoria. Mr Kelly and Douglas Haywood (right) are fighting for life in hospital
‘Why are we shaking like this?’ the woman asked, to which the man replied: ‘They’ve got to cut the engine so we can reach the runway.’
Just before the aircraft hit the ground, the man said: ‘Geez, this is going to be bad.’
The footage then turned black as the passengers’ agonising screams were heard echoing through the cabin.
‘Everybody out! Everybody out! Everybody out,’ a man was heard yelling before the video cut out.
Qantas pilots Mr Kelly and Mr Haywood, the former who is recently retired, are in a critical condition following the crash that killed South African flight engineer Chris Barnard and a farm worker.
The Sydney men, both members of the Wollongong-based Historical Aircraft Restoration Society, were rushed to Johannesburg Hospital with life-threatening injuries.
The footage was captured by a passenger sitting near the left wing and showed the plane’s engine engulfed in flames just seconds before impact
The Convair CV-340 aircraft crashed into a dairy farm last week near South Africa ‘s administrative capital Pretoria
One of two factory workers taken to hospital later died of his injuries. Mr Kelly’s wife Lyndal was among the 19 injured.
The 64-year-old aircraft was due to be flown to the Aviodrome aircraft museum in the Netherlands where it was to put on display.
Lisette Kars, a spokesperson for Aviodrome, confirmed the second death from the crash.
‘The plane crashed into the building where that person was working,’ Ms Kars told The Australian.
‘The first casualty was a person on the flight itself, a technical assistant from South Africa, and the second one was a factory worker from the building the plane crashed into.’
‘We are all really shocked by the news today. It’s really sad.’
One of two factory workers injured when the vintage plane (pictured) hit the building died after being taken to hospital
The vintage aircraft was due to be flown to the Aviodrome aircraft museum in the Netherlands where it was to put on display (pictured is the scene of the crash)
Mr Kelly is a retired Qantas pilot with over 30 years of experience and a former Airbus A380 Captain.
Mr Haywood learned how to fly while he was in high school in Bankstown, in Sydney’s south-west.
He joined the Royal Australian Air Force in 1976 before he started his commercial flying career with Qantas in 1984. He is also an Airbus A380 Captain.
‘We were deeply upset to learn that two Qantas pilots, one current and one retired, were onboard the vintage aircraft involved in an accident in South Africa on Tuesday,’ Qantas said in a statement.
‘They are currently in hospital being treated for serious injuries.
The plane crashed about five kilometres east of the airport and four people were briefly trapped inside the wreckage (pictured)
Three Australians, including two pilots, were injured in a deadly plane crash in Pretoria, South Africa
‘This news has shocked the Qantas pilot community and everyone’s thoughts are with the families. We’ve reached out and are providing whatever support we can.’
A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesman said it was ‘providing consular assistance to three Australians injured in a plane crash,’ The Daily Telegraph reported.
‘For privacy reasons we are unable to provide further details,’ he said.
The plane crashed about five kilometres east of the airport and four people were briefly trapped inside the wreckage.
A Tshwane Emergency Services spokesman said the injured were in a serious or critical condition and the scene was chaotic.
The Aviodrome’s marketing manager, Rosella Passier told AFP in The Hague that they are not sure what happened but the plane experienced trouble shortly after takeoff.
The plane was preparing for a flight to the Aviodrome air museum in the Netherlands and was expected to arrive on July 23