However, the air accident report speculated, without supporting evidence, that the captain of the plane suffered a heart attack while on approach and the first officer was unable to regain control of the aircraft.

[1] Like the crash of South African Airways Flight 295 two decades later, there was, and still is, great contention about the ultimate cause of the aircraft accident.

On departure from East London, the plane suffered a bird strike and was inspected upon landing at Port Elizabeth where it was determined to still be airworthy.

Acknowledgement of receipt of the weather report was given a minute later, and the pilot further requested descent clearance from flight level 90 (about 9,000 feet), which was granted.

The pilot was recorded at Port Elizabeth tower saying that he was descending through 4,000 ft, seaward of the coastline and about 20 miles away from landing at 5:06 pm GMT.

[3] Judge Cecil Margo, one of the original investigators, later stated in his memoir, Final Postponement, that he believed the plane crashed due to separation of the wing.

[5] Rosenthal was an American working with the Defense and Aid Fund, a group that helped jailed and exiled PAC and ANC members' families.

Due to this new evidence, family members of the victims have petitioned the Minister of Transport to reopen the air incident investigation.