Durban’s Sky Turns Somber: Search for Missing Pilot Blackwood-Murray Continues a Week After Airshow Crash

What was meant to be a thrilling celebration of aviation has turned into a heartbreaking wait for answers. A week after 61-year-old pilot Andrew Blackwood-Murray’s light aircraft crashed into the ocean during a Durban airshow, there is still no sign of him.

A routine display that ended in disaster

The accident unfolded just before 2pm last Thursday, as the ZS-AEC Extra 300 completed what should have been its final showpiece. Video clips shared across social media captured the aircraft looping high before losing control and plummeting into the Indian Ocean, skidding across the water before sinking.

For those on Durban’s beachfront that day, the crash turned a festive crowd into a stunned and grieving audience.

A relentless search, guided by technology

Since then, search efforts have been unyielding. The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), supported by private companies, recreational divers, and emergency services, continues to deploy advanced equipment in hopes of finding the missing pilot.

Craig Lambinon, spokesperson for the NSRI, confirmed that teams are working off carefully plotted grid coordinates, factoring in ocean currents and drift patterns. “Weather and sea conditions have not hampered search efforts,” he said, noting that the Spirit of Surfski 6 rescue craft is now assisting divers as the mission presses forward.

Despite the cutting-edge tools at hand, the ocean has given back no answers.

A community holding its breath

The search has drawn immense emotional support from both the public and the aviation community. Fellow pilots, friends, and strangers alike have flooded social media with messages of hope and solidarity.

The aviation community in South Africa is a close-knit one, and tributes to Blackwood-Murray, an experienced and respected pilothave been pouring in. The NSRI has emphasized the importance of handling the tragedy with sensitivity, as his family and colleagues endure an agonizing wait.

Investigation under way

Parallel to the search, the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) is investigating the cause of the crash. The inquiry, led by the Accident and Incident Investigations Division (AIID), may take months before a full picture is available.

Director of Civil Aviation, Poppy Khoza, expressed solidarity: “Our focus now is on the mission currently unfolding, appreciating the efforts of the teams on the ground and wishing them strength.”

When the sea keeps its silence

For Durban residents, the tragedy is a sobering reminder of the risks inherent in airshows, events that usually spark joy and wonder. For the family of Andrew Blackwood-Murray, each day without closure deepens the weight of uncertainty.

As the ocean holds onto its secret, the question remains: will it ever give up the man who fell from the sky?

A week on, the disappearance of Andrew Blackwood-Murray is no longer just a search-and-rescue operation, it’s a test of resilience for his family, the aviation community, and a city shaken by a spectacle that ended in sorrow.

{Source: The Citizen}

Follow Joburg ETC on Facebook, Twitter , TikTok and Instagram

For more News in Johannesburg, visit joburgetc.com