Date:	Tuesday 6 March 1962
Time:	14:15
Type:	Douglas C-47B-30-DK (DC-3)
Owner/operator:	South African Airways - SAA
Registration:	ZS-DJC
MSN:	32937/16189
Year of manufacture:	1945
Engine model:	Pratt & Whitney R-1830-90C
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 7
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed, written off
Category:	Accident
Location:	11 km N of Seymour -   South Africa
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	Grahamstown (FAGT)
Destination airport:	Queenstown Airport (UTW/FAQT)
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
The DC-3 passenger plane operated flight SA-512 from Cape Town to Collondale, South Africa with several intermediate stops.
According to the co-pilot the aircraft flew below the clouds at about 300-500 ft above the ground. It was the pilot-in-command's intention to fly through the Katberg Pass below cloud and as the aircraft approached the mountains the cloud ceiling became lower and the pilot was faced with a critical situation. He called for METO (maximum except takeoff) power and in an attempt to clear the hills the right wing first made contact with the trees and then the right engine propeller cut into the rising ground.
The aircraft came to rest against a rock face approximately 250 yd from the initial point of impact with the trees and approximately 500 ft from the top of the hill.

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The accident was attributed to an error of judgement on the part of the pilot-in-command who attempted low visual flight, beneath the cloud base, near mountains in deteriorating weather conditions."

ICAO Accident Digest No.14 Volume I, Circular 71-AN/63 (18-20)

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