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| Date: | Wednesday 1 November 2023 |
| Time: | 13:09 UTC |
| Type: |  Beechcraft 1900D |
| Owner/operator: | National Airways Corporation |
| Registration: | ZS-OKN |
| MSN: | UE-23 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1992 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 31437 hours |
| Engine model: | PWC PT6A-67D |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial, written off |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Port Elizabeth Airport (FAPE) -
 South Africa
|
| Phase: | Taxi |
| Nature: | Cargo |
| Departure airport: | Bloemfontein-Bram Fischer International Airport (BFN/FABL) |
| Port Elizabeth Airport (PLZ/FAPE) | |
| Investigating agency: | CAA S.A. |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
A National Airways Corporation Beechcraft 1900D, ZS-OKN, suffered substantial damage due to a chemical leak.
The aircraft was carrying cargo (Dangerous Goods) which comprised toxic UN2922 corrosive chemical that was stored in 20-litre containers. The aircraft took off from FABL and landed safely at FAPE. During taxi, the cabin and cockpit filled with fumes and smoke due to the chemical leak. The pilot-in-command (PIC) reported that he and the first officer (FO) opened the direct-vision (DV) windows and stuck out their faces to get fresh air. The PIC stopped the aircraft at the apron situated east of the general aviation (GA) hangars before he shut down the engines. During the off-loading of the cargo, a container that had a leak was identified as the DZUS fastener had pierced its bottom; the fastener, which secured the floorboards, had come loose. No drip trays or pallets were used during the loading of chemicals. The chemical that leaked reacted with the floorboard material after a few days, which caused substantial corrosion damage to the wing spars, the floor rails and the underbelly of the aircraft. The aircraft was assessed by the manufacturer/operator and was declared unsafe, and thus, a constructive total loss or a write off.
Probable Cause
A DZUS fastener punctured one of the containers containing a corrosive chemical which leaked and seeped underneath the cabin floorboards, subsequently causing substantial corrosive damage to the main wing spars and the underbelly structure of the aircraft.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
CAASA
Location
Media:
B1900 written off after DG corrosive chemical leak 1 Nov 2023: A DZUS fastener pierced through the bottom part of a chemical containerhttps://t.co/KZOEzzyeOh #dg #dangerousgoods #flightsafety #aviationsafety pic.twitter.com/9IlepxGS8e
— Aerossurance (@Aerossurance) October 14, 2024
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 13-Oct-2024 16:51 | ASN | Added |
| 13-Oct-2024 16:52 | ASN | Updated [Narrative, ] |
| 13-Oct-2024 17:00 | ASN | Updated [Date, ] |
| 14-Oct-2024 07:53 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Embed code, ] |
| 21-Oct-2024 08:30 | ASN | Updated [Embed code, Accident report, ] |
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