zoomerhistorian.substack.com By Zoomer Historian
At 5pm on 3 September Air Rhodesia Flight 825 took off from the Kariba Airport runway, and the passengers made themselves comfortable for their flight to Salisbury. The plane was packed full of families, especially families from Bulawayo. There was no direct flight from Kariba and so the most efficient way home was to head for Salisbury first. The flight had begun as normal, the Viscount was climbing well and air hostesses Dulcie and Brenda were already well into action and serving their 52 passengers.
Hans Hansen, a Dane, was the last to board the plane. He was heading to Bulawayo with his wife Diana to see some friends. For whatever reason, he just couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong, and he had a sinking feeling inside. His gut instinct was correct; down below, there was a ZIPRA missile team intently watching the plane. Their target, almost certainly, was General Peter Walls, but he was still down below at the airport.
As the plane passed overhead, the infrared eye of the missile launcher locked onto it, then, once the indicator lamp turned from red to green, the operator squeezed down on the trigger. The missile slammed into the wheel bay of the Hunyani, near the edge of engine number three’s exhaust.
Hans Hansen recalled:
‘The plane shook, and there was a loud explosion as fire poured out of the inner starboard engine. The flames extended the length of the plane to the tail fin, like a gigantic acetylene welding flame. I wondered if it was possible with such heat to land the aircraft before the wing melted and fell off. We turned in a full circle while descending sharply.’1
He went on:
‘No one screamed or panicked, an elderly man emerged from his seat asking for a fire extinguisher. No one answered him, but it was a sensible request. Diana took my hand, and we sat still; everything seemed to be very still and silent. Quietly I thought, ’God, I have not found out everything I want to know. I am not ready to die.’’2
The passengers, however, were in capable hands. Captain John Hood and First Officer Garth Beaumont remained perfectly calm and managed to get their spiraling aircraft under control. Hood then announced over the radio that the plane was under control and that they were going to make a crash landing. The passengers were told to empty their pockets, take off their shoes and hold onto their ankles…
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