In Memory Of

DUVENAGE, GERT WILLEM DIEDERIK (DERIK)

Service Details
Age:
 22
Date of Birth:
 1981-06-12
Service No:
 98192958PW
Rank:
 Lieutenant
Unit:
 85 Combat Flying School
Regiment:
 South African Air Force
Date of Death:
 2003-11-12
Cause of Death:
 Died in Aircraft Accident, Atlas MB326M Impala Mk I #530. On a low-level tactical navigation flight when Impala apparently developed mechanical problems. Could have been caused by a bird strike that could have led to engine failure. Crashed at Krokodilpoort (between Nelspruit and Malelane) on the N4 highway. The pilots tried to save their aircraft but had to eject, too late. Crashed into the truck of Mr. Enoch Nkosi. Mr. Cornelius Johannes Steenkamp, a cargo truck driver from Kempton Park, witnessed the accident.
Commemoration
Cemetery:
 KRUGERSDORP (STERKFONTEIN) CEMETERY
Localitly:
 Gauteng
Country:
 South Africa
Additional Information
Lt. Duvenhage obtained his wings in December 2002. Lt. Duvenhage had recently flown his first solo in the Impala and was busy with operational training. Lt. Derek Duvenhage's girlfriend of 5 years was Janine Coetzee (22). They met at Hoerskool Waterkloof, where he was in the school cadets. After school he joined the SAAF, she studied medicine at the University of Pretoria. He was buried in Krugersdorp, where his parents lived