Cecil Margo

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Judge Cecil Stanley Margo ( - 19 November 2000) was a member of the South African judiciary.

1 Early life and studies
2 Military career
3 Post War and Israel
4 Appointment to the supreme court
- 4.1 Aircraft accident investigations
5 External references

[edit] Early life and studies

He received his law degree at the University of the Witwatersrand and was called to the Johannesburg Bar in 1937 where he practiced as an advocate.

[edit] Military career

During the Second World War Cecil Margo completed three tours of duty, in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe, flying no fewer than 150 strike missions and eventually assuming command of the renowned 24 Bomber Squadron of the South African Air Force. During this time he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and the Distinguished Flying Cross.

[edit] Post War and Israel

In 1948 Margo was called upon to serve as a senior adviser to David Ben-Gurion in the establishment and organisation of the Israeli Air Force.

[edit] Appointment to the supreme court

In 1971 Margo was appointed to the South African Supreme Court.

[edit] Aircraft accident investigations

Margo's career is highlighted by significant contributions to aircraft accident investigation. He was appointed to investigate the following high profile air disasters:

the DC-6 accident, on September 18 1961 near Ndola in what was the Central African Federation, and in which the then Secretary General of the United Nations, Dag Hammerskjold was killed;
the loss of the Rietbok, an SAA Viscount airliner, which crashed into the sea off East London in 1967;
the crash of the Pretoria, an SAA Boeing 707 which lost power after take-off from Windhoek in 1968;
the Tupolev Tu-134 air disaster in 1986 just inside South African territory, which killed Samora Machel, the former president of Mozambique, and 24 others;
and the Helderberg air disaster of 1987 which claimed 159 lives when an SAA Boeing 747, the Helderberg, crashed into in the sea north-east of Mauritius.