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Odendaal , Hendrik Oswald Meyer (H O M)

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Photo of Odendaal
Identity
Person No.
32362
Old ROH no.
1079
Service No.
66211863E
Last Name
Odendaal 32
First Name
Hendrik Oswald Meyer
Initials
H O M
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
1951 (±1 yr) 254
Age at Death
20
Death Record
Date of Death
21 September 1971 149
Cause code
AA 1,734
Aircraft accident
Cause of Death
Killed in aircraft accident 1,514
Killed in aircraft accident during a solo night navigation exercise, when his Atlas MB326M Impala Mk I #504 crashed into the Kouebokke mountains near Citrusdal, Cape Province. Spatial disorientation (vertigo) was the suspected cause
Military Service
Branch
Air Force
Rank
Candidate Officer
Regiment
Unknown
Corps
South African Air Force 3,524
Unit
Flying Training School 4
Defence Force
SADF 3,848
South African Defence Force
Location
Country
South Africa 23,872
Locality
Gauteng 9,374
Cemetery
THABA TSHWANE (NEW) MILITARY CEMETERY 592
Grave Reference
Grave 700 1
Coordinates
-25.78214, 28.12179 OSM
Notes

Son of Brigadier H. O. M. Odendaal DFC and bar, after whom he was named.

Research notes


Col (rt) Graham du Toit Last Post 21 Sep 2026: 66211863E Candidate Officer Hendrik Oswald Meyer Odendaal, Flying Training School Langebaanweg. Cause enriched on two points the stored text lacked: the flight was a solo NIGHT navigation exercise, and SPATIAL DISORIENTATION (vertigo) was the suspected cause. Aircraft type and serial already matched exactly. Graham names the station as Langebaanweg, where this record has "Flying Training School" alone.
25 Sep 2026, Unit2 service-branch sweep: the stored Secondary Unit "Army" was CLEARED. It was not a sub-unit, it was a service-branch word, and it CONTRADICTED this record's own Branch, "Air Force". Across the roll 787 records carried such a contradiction; judged against Corps and Regiment -- independent of both columns -- the evidence backed Branch 744 times and Unit2 not once. Branch is therefore kept and the contradicting word removed. Nothing is guessed: this man's branch of service is already recorded, and his sub-unit, if any, is simply not known.
30 Sep 2026: DATE CONFLICT, NOT CHANGED: DB holds DateDeath 1971-09-21. Col (rt) Graham du Toit Last Post, 29 Sep 2026, gives the same crash/cause/service number/age but dates it "29 Sep 1971": "66211863E Candidate Officer Hendrik Oswald Meyer Odendaal from Flying Training School Langebaanweg was killed when his Atlas MB326M Impala Mk I, Serial 504 crashed in the Kouebokke mountains near Citrusdal..." Not resolved; flagging only.

Citations
Unknown
External References
Stories 2
on 04 August 2002 · via source
The son of Brigadier H.O.M Odendaal DFC and bar, after whom he was named. Meyer was killed during a solo flight while undergoing flight training. His Impala crashed into the Kouebokke mountains in the Cape province of South Africa.
by Graham Du Toit on 21 September 2014 · via source
21 Sep 1971: 66211863E Candidate Officer Hendrik Oswald Meyer Odendaal from Flying Training School Langebaanweg was killed when his Atlas MB326M Impala Mk I, Serial No. 504, crashed in the Kouebokke Mountains near Citrusdal while carrying out a solo night Navigation exercise. Spatial disorientation (Vertigo) was the suspected cause of the accident. He was 20.
Dedications 3
by Andre Odendaal on 27 April 2002 · via source
In memory of my eldest brother Meyer,who died in a accident while training to be a pilot, like his father Brig H.O.M odendaal(DFC and bar)who has recently passed away. I hope they are together.
on 08 March 2008 · via source
contact update Andre Odendaal
by Brother of Meyer Odenddal on 24 March 2012 · via source
Still remember and miss my brother. Michael Johan Odendaal.