Killed instantly when his Atlas Impala Mk II (Serial No. 1089, callsign 326KM) crashed at Air Force Base Hoedspruit during night flying training. Just after take-off, as the aircraft turned onto downwind in the aerodrome traffic circuit, the canopy opened, causing a dramatic change in aerodynamic forces; the aircraft went into an uncontrollable roll at low level, making ejection impossible, and struck the ground inverted.