German community mourns after fatal plane crash

A respected German couple and their 19-year-old son, who had been looking forward to a holiday in Namibia after the couple spent four decades involved with a prominent company and foundation, saw their dream trip end in tragedy.

The Dieter Schwarz Foundation in Germany confirmed on Monday that the German passengers who died in the plane crash in Namibia were Silke Lohmiller (61), former managing director of the Dieter Schwarz Foundation, her husband Richard (66), a former Kaufland executive, and their son, Henry (19).

The family lived in the Heilbronn region in Baden-Württemberg.

Heilbronn mayor Harry Mergel also commented on the family’s tragic passing, describing them as special people, influential companions and loyal friends.

“With the many plans they still had together, the tragedy is particularly cruel and surreal,” he told the Heilbronner Stimme newspaper.

German media have widely reported on the crash of a Desert Air Cessna 210 in which the family and pilot Martin Funck were killed.

According to Desert Air chief executive Willem de Wet, the burnt-out wreck of the aircraft, registered as V5-KER, was spotted from the air at about 09:15 on Monday in the mountains near Hammerstein Lodge. This followed a large-scale ground and aerial search launched on Sunday after the aircraft went missing shortly before landing at Keerweder near Sossusvlei.

Desert Air said Funck, born on 9 June 1958 in Leopoldshöhe, Germany, held a commercial pilot’s licence with approximately 4 200 flying hours on various types of aircraft.

He began his career as an aircraft engineer with a private pilot’s licence (PPL) in 1977 and obtained his Namibian PPL in 2013.

Funck flew for Desert Air on a freelance basis from 2019 and was permanently appointed as a pilot in 2022. He also trained junior pilots.

“With his mechanical engineering background, Martin took on the role of aircraft maintenance officer in addition to being a senior pilot,” the statement said, adding that he "will be remembered as one of the best".

Funck is survived by his wife Kerstin and three adult children.

Career and legacy

The late Silke Lohmiller worked for more than 40 years in the Dieter Schwarz Group. She was closely involved in social and educational projects. From 2015 to 2025, she served as managing director of the foundation, where she was responsible for education and contributed to various projects.

The chairperson of the foundation, Reinhold Geilsdörfer, said Silke had always worked to create future opportunities for young people. He described her not only as a valued colleague, but as an exceptionally kind person who would be deeply missed.

Richard Lohmiller also worked for the Schwarz Group for decades. He spent 40 years as a manager at Kaufland and, before leaving the company in 2019, served as a board member and head of Kaufland Germany. He was also chairperson of Sporthilfe Unterland e.V. Heilbronn-Hohenlohe.

 – [email protected]