SA pilot dies parachuting through windscreen

The pilot of a South African air force jet parachuted through the windscreen of on oncoming truck and was killed after his plane crashed near a main road today.

Two men, the pilot and instructor, died after ejecting from the ageing Italian built Impala jet trainer before it crashed less than 10 yards from the road near the city of Nelspruit, 210 miles east of Johannesburg.

One of the men died when he landed in trees and rocks near the road

The other’s parachute carried him into the windscreen of a truck and through the vehicle’s roof, said police Captain Benjamin Bhembe

A passenger in the truck was slightly injured on impact and the driver was treated for shock, he said.

The two fliers were on a low level navigation flight at the time, according to Lieutenant Colonel Frans Schoombee of the South African air force.

He could not say at what altitude the plane was flying when it got into trouble.

The Impalas date from the 1960s and are due to be replaced by British built Hawk trainers.