A chef and television personality has died after being involved in a scary aircraft accident.
Mynie Steffens, host of popular South African cooking show “Speel met Vuur” (“Playing with Fire”), died Monday after a helicopter she was piloting crashed at a citrus farm near the town of Patensie in the Eastern Cape, according to the IOL.
Steffens, 43, was spraying crops with pesticides at the farm early Monday morning when the helicopter struck power lines and crashed, per the George Herald.
“Information that is at our disposal indicates that the pilot was conducting a pest control operation flight when the helicopter struck power lines and crashed,” the Accidents and Incidents Investigations Division said in a statement obtained by the George Herald. “The helicopter itself was substantially damaged due to impact force.”
The chef, cookbook author and pilot often documented her aircraft adventures via social media.
Steffens co-hosted “Speel met Vuur” with her longtime friend Aldi van der Walt. She also wrote the cookbook “Mynie Plays with Fire” (2021), which consisted heavily of recipes for South African barbecue called “braii.”
“Mynie lived life to the full,” Van Der Walt told IOL. “She was always full of ideas that had transformed into successful endeavours, and then executing that with success, winning over people as she went along.”
VIA TV, the South African lifestyle channel on which Steffens’ show aired, shared a tribute to the late chef Monday.
“Rest in peace, Mynie Steffens. You were adventurous until the end. With #PlayWithFire, you showed us all how to approach life with curiosity and bravery. Sleep softly,” the translated statement read.
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