Former Springbok communications manager Chris Hewitt died in the plane crash near Hekpoort north west of Krugersdorp on Wednesday, Beeld newspaper reported on Thursday.

Hewitt (24), resigned from SA Rugby last month following reports of a sex tape involving Springbok coach Peter de Villiers.

Hewitt's mother, Beverley, confirmed to Beeld that he had died in the crash which killed his instructor Henricus de Witt.

"Flying was his passion. He started with flying lessons this month," she said.

Hewitt, a former rugby writer, left SA Rugby under a cloud just before he would have appeared before a disciplinary hearing. He was allegedly the one who made the claims of the sex tape, allegedly showing De Villiers with a prostitute. Existence of the tape has never been proven.

The two-seater aircraft crashed on Wednesday around 5pm after witnesses saw it spiralling from the air.

Commissioner for Civil Aviation, Captain Colin Jordaan, said that since 1 October, 12 accidents occurred of which seven had resulted in 23 fatalities.

The Hekpoort crash brought to 25 the number of deaths due to aircraft accidents in one month.

"This is appalling news and our thoughts and feelings go out to Chris?s family and friends and to those of his instructor Henricus de Witt who also lost his life in this terrible incident," said Andy Marinos, acting managing director of SA Rugby, in a statement.

"Chris was a bright and ambitious young man with great potential and to lose his life so young and while he was fulfilling his dream of learning to fly makes it doubly tragic.

"When he left our offices it was with a smile and a handshake and we fully expected to see him re-emerge successfully in some other line of endeavour.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and with those of Henricus."