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| Date: | Sunday 31 March 2024 |
| Time: | 11:22 |
| Type: |  Cessna 172RG |
| Owner/operator: | |
| Registration: | ZS-LLY |
| MSN: | 172RG-0025 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Goodside Private Airfield -
 South Africa
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Goodside Private Airfield |
| Hoedspruit Civil Airfield | |
| Investigating agency: | CAA S.A. |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On Sunday, 31 March 2024 at 0922Z, a pilot and a passenger on-board a Cessna 172RG aircraft with registration ZS-LLY took off from Goodside Private Airfield in Lydenburg, Mpumalanga province, to Hoedspruit Civil Airfield in Limpopo province. Clear weather conditions prevailed at the time of the flight. The flight was conducted under visual meteorological conditions by day and under the provisions of Part 91 of the Civil Aviation Regulations (CAR) 2011 as amended.
The pilot stated that 38.5 gallons (145.7 litres) of fuel was uplifted prior to the flight. After conducting the pre-flight inspection, the pilot conducted the pre-start checks and, thereafter, started the engine. He then taxied the aircraft to the run-up bay where the run-up checks were performed. He stated that the engine revolutions per minute (RPM) reached approximately 1 800, which is a good performance. The maximum power for this aircraft is 2 700 RPM. After the run-up checks, the aircraft entered Runway 30 and the pilot applied full power to initiate the take-off roll. However, the aircraft was slow to accelerate; it only achieved 70% (50 knots) of the take-off speed at the halfway mark of the runway. The acceleration continued to be sluggish despite the pilot's efforts to raise the flaps to 10s°. At this point, the airspeed was approximately 50 knots. He then pulled back the control column and the aircraft lifted off momentarily, but the left wing stalled. To avoid an accident, the pilot pushed the control column forward and the aircraft landed back on the runway towards the end of it. It overran the runway and impacted the perimeter fence, which entangled the right wing and the left strut and, thus, caused the aircraft to turn to the right. The aircraft skidded sideways in a left-wing down attitude before it came to a stop. The pilot completed the shutdown procedure, and both occupants vacated the aircraft unassisted. During a walk around to inspect the aircraft, the pilot noticed that the flaps did not deploy.
According to the eyewitness report who was positioned at the 700-metre (m) mark of the runway, he noticed that ZS-LLY had not rotated yet at the 700m mark. The 700m mark is used as a reference or decision-making point during the take-off run to abort take-off. He stated that the engine spluttered which meant that it was not producing optimum power. He further stated that after the wheels lifted off the ground, the aircraft yawed to the left before it exited the runway. The aircraft impacted the fence and it turned 90s° to the right before it stopped. He then rushed to the scene and found fuel leaking from the right wing; the occupants had disembarked from the aircraft when he arrived at the accident site.
The aircraft sustained substantial damage; the occupants were not injured.
Probable Cause(s)
The aircraft had difficulty accelerating to the required speed during take-off due to high density
altitude and the pilot aborted take-off after the 700m mark of the 1000m runway. This resulted in the
aircraft overshooting the runway and impacted the fence.
Contributing Factor(s)
- Inadequate or no pre-flight planning as the pilot failed to consider the effects of density
altitude.
- The use of flaps (10° selection) during a normal take-off which was an incorrect configuration (for a normal take-off).
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
SACAA
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 13-Jul-2024 17:41 | ASN | Added |
| 13-Jul-2024 17:43 | ASN | Updated [Aircraft type, Total occupants, Location, Phase, Narrative, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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