TV Chef Dies in Pesticide Copter Crash

A TV chef was killed in a helicopter crash above a farm in South Africa on Monday, Nov. 10, according to reports. 

 Mynie Steffens, 43, a chef, pilot and author, was piloting a helicopter and spraying crops with pesticides above a citrus farm in the Eastern Cape around 8 a.m. when she struck power lines and crashed, the George Herald reported. 

“The helicopter itself was substantially damaged due to impact force,” the Accidents and Incidents Investigations Division told the outlet. 

Photos posted by South Africa’s Exec Ops of the accident captured the remnants of the crumpled helicopter littered in a grassy patch by the farm.  

“Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by this tragedy,” the authority wrote in a statement. Steffens co-hosted a popular cooking show, “Speel met Vuur,” translated from Afrikaans to “playing with fire,” on the VIA channel with her old pal from high school, Aldi van der Walt, IOL reported. 

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She also penned the cookbook “Mynie Plays with Fire,” published by Penguin Books South Africa in 2021, filled with recipes for “braai,” a South African barbecue cooked over an open flame. Steffens frequently posted videos of her helicopter flights on social media.  

Her co-host, Van Der Walt, told the outlet that Steffens “had a big heart, gentle soul, the glue that kept people together.” “Mynie lived life to the full,” Van Der Walt told the outlet. 

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“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,” she continued. 

“She could make time for people from every walk of life, and that was her priority.” VIA TV also posted a tribute to the late host on Facebook.

“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.