The Dakota Association of South Africa

C/N 6154

C-47-DL

ZS-UAS

ZS-UAS was registered to Sandrivier Safaris in September 1974. Sandrivier Safaris being the holding company for United Air Services, hence the registration ZS-UAS.

The Dakota was painted up in the United Air colour scheme at Wonderboom Airport where the company had its maintenance base. United Air operated various scheduled and charter services throughout South Africa.

During 1980, with the run-up to the independence elections in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), Sandrivier Safaris re-registered a number of its aircraft in Botswana to yet another subsidiary, Air Services Botswana (Pty) Ltd. The aircraft were used amongst others, to fly international election observers around Rhodesia. ZS-UAS thus became A2-ACF for this operation.

By March 1980 it returned to South Africa, again as ZS-UAS, and continued to serve with United Air until 18 May 1988 when it crashed near Hennenman in the Orange Free State province killing all 23 passengers and crew on board. The aircraft was on charter to the horse racing fraternity and most of the passenger on board were jockeys. During its last year the aircraft also carried the name “The Wild Goose”, a name derived from the 1978 movie film The Wild Geese in which the aircraft was a ‘star’.

Previous History

This Skytrain was delivered to the USAAF on 22 December 1942 as 41-38695. It was assigned to North Africa and arrived at Oran in Algiers on 15 January 1943.

It was transferred to the 8th Air Force on 4 October 1944. The aircraft returned to the USA in August 1945. It was struck off charged and sold to the Reconstruction Finance Corporation on 16 November 1945 and was registered NC75404.

The Dakota was then sold to Texaco as NC1621 and later re-registered as N16218. The next two owners were The Pure Oil Co of Chicago, Illinois and Jack Adams Aircraft Sales of Walls, Mississippi.

In 1966 it was sold to LC Cassisy & Son Inc as N517DC. In 1967 it became the property of WJ Wilkinson & Partners of San Diego, California who re-registered the aircraft as N5170. Lewis Grocer Co of Indianapolis, Indiana bought the aircraft in 1968 and in 1974 Sandrivier Safaris became the new owner. C/n 6154 was back on African soil after 31 years.

Contributed by Karel Zaayman
Life Member Dakota Association of South Africa
13 December 2008