PICTURE: Wreckage from car accident that killed Air Zim pilot

HARARE – On Wednesday we exclusively reported how veteran Air Zimbabwe pilot and flight operations manager Captain Danai Taruvinga (50) died in an accident when his Mazda 3 car was rammed by an Irvine’s Ford Ranger twin cab as he was driving out of his Waterfalls residence in Harare.

A Nehanda Radio Citizen journalist was first with the story and has since supplied us with this picture of what remains of Captain Taruvinga’s car.

Captain Taruvinga’s son, Nicholas, also confirmed his death.

“He died after an Irvines truck hit his side while he was driving out of the drive way. We tried to rush him to hospital but he was pronounced dead on arrival. He will be laid to rest at Glen Forest Cemetery on Saturday (today),” he said.

Born on September 9 in 1963, Captain Taruvinga attended Mazowe High School. He was sent to Amsterdam in Netherlands and became one of the first aircraft engineers after the attainment of independence in 1982.

Cpt Taruvinga became a pilot in 1991 and he rose through the ranks to become a captain. He was one of the first pilots to fly the MA60 and he had vast experience flying Boeing 767s and 737s.

He is survived by his wife Matirasa and four children – Nicholas, Michelle, Tanyaradzwa and Tafadzwa. Mourners are gathered at number 54 Godfrey Avenue, Waterfalls in Harare.

Captain Taruvinga was in 2007 downgraded by the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe from captain to first officer for 12 months after flying into a hailstorm despite having a functional weather radar in Zambia.

The incident caused extensive damage to the Boeing 737 aircraft. But, although he was demoted for a period, Air Zimbabwe management in 2010 “requested under unclear circumstances that he resumes flying after his licence had lapsed.

The board chair Jonathan Kadzura said Taruvinga was a qualified pilot and “a Zimbabwean who must use the chance to create opportunity for his children”.

In May that year Taruvinga recruited his son Nicholas as a civilian pilot – possibly without letting other recruiters know of their relationship, noted an audit report.

The committee then recommended that Taruvinga either revert to the post of full-time flight operations manager in line with his job specification or relinquish the post and become a full-time pilot.