Captain Yvette Walsh, an experienced first officer of the South African Airways (SAL), is taking the airline to court in an attempt to obtain an independent investigation into a serious flight incident in October 2024. The incident occurred when flight SA314, an Airbus A330-300 with 223 people on board, was en route from Cape Town to OR Tambo International Airport. The aircraft suddenly moved up and down after encountering clear-air turbulence. Four cabin crew members were injured.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) investigation report identified the turbulence as the probable cause and indicated the disconnection of the automatic flight control without proper communication with the captain as one of the contributing factors. Walsh disputes the findings and contends that she did not have a fair opportunity to refute them. The High Court removed her application from the urgent roll; the matter will proceed through the ordinary court process.
According to the CAA report, the incident occurred on 27 October 2024, approximately 33 minutes after the aircraft took off. Walsh was the pilot in command, while Captain Craig Pearce was monitoring the flight. When the aircraft's movements and speed changed, Walsh disconnected the automatic flight control and manually controlled the aircraft. The crew subsequently requested a descent from flight level 410 to 390. One cabin crew member sustained serious injuries and three others sustained minor injuries. No passengers were injured, and an inspection found no structural damage to the aircraft.
The CAA report, published in October 2025, states that the aircraft's maximum Mach number was exceeded for nine seconds. Walsh argued during the investigation that the aircraft did not exceed the maximum permitted Mach number and that no warnings sounded on the flight deck. The investigation report also states that the captain did not intervene and that poor crew coordination was a contributing factor.
The availability of flight recordings is an important part of Walsh's legal dispute with SAL. The CAA report confirms that the original flight data recorder's data had already been overwritten when the incident was reported to the investigation department. Data from the aircraft's quick access recorder was, however, available and was downloaded on 12 November 2024. This data was subsequently used for technical analysis, including in an Airbus report from March 2025.
Walsh contends that critical recordings, including the cockpit voice recording, were not preserved and that this limited her ability to independently dispute the findings. The published CAA report confirms the loss of the original flight data but does not itself establish the full status of the cockpit voice recording.
SAL opposes Walsh's application for an independent investigation and, according to media reports, contends that a further investigation is not necessary.
Sources: Civil Aviation Authority, The Citizen, Flightline Weekly, Newzroom ZA, AeroInside
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
