Westair Aviation has announced the names of its three employees who died on the spot when an F 406 plane belonging to WestAir Aviation crashed in Windhoek's Pioneerspark late yesterday.

The three were identified as Rozanne De Beer-Olivier (33), Ruan van Schalkwyk (24), and André-Armand Lubbe (25).

De Beer-Olivier and van Schalkwyk were both pilots who joined the company in 2017 and 2023, respectively, while Lubbe was an engineer who joined the company in 2019.

The plane went down during a maintenance test and crashed into residential premises.

Four cars and four houses were damaged in the process.

West Air has issued a statement extending condolences to the families and affirming its commitment to supporting the investigation process. 

Witnesses described the accident scene as horrific, and traumatised residents have since been relocated to a hotel.

They are also unable to speak to the media about their ordeal.

The authorities still need to assess the extent of the damage to houses and vehicles damaged during the plane crash.