South African Civil Aviation Authority fires whistleblower after crash complaint
The South African Civil Aviation Authority SACAA fired airworthiness inspector and former air crash investigator Jeremiah Visser after he raised concerns about the fatal January 2020 crash of the regulator's aircraft, ZS-CAR. Visser, who used SACAA's internal Vuvuzela whistleblowing mechanism, made what he considered a protected disclosure based on his research into the accident. He was suspended shortly after and later dismissed following a disciplinary process, facing allegations that included acting unethically and divulging confidential information. The crash, which occurred about 30 km from George in the Western Cape, killed three SACAA employees: pilot Captain Thabiso Tolo, First Officer Tebogo Lekalakala, and Flight Inspector Gugu Comfort Mnguni. The Cessna Citation S550 was owned and operated by SACAA for airport calibration flights. SACAA's initial findings attributed the crash solely to pilot error, a conclusion disputed by the victims' families. Then transport minister Fikile Mbalula requested a separate investigation by the Ethiopian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau due to SACAA's potential conflict of interest as both regulator and operator. The Ethiopian report, released in January 2022, largely agreed on pilot error but also cited SACAA's violations of aviation regulations, including a substandard flight data recorder. It recommended separating investigation responsibility from aviation oversight. SACAA unsuccessfully sought a court order in July to preve