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| Date: | Saturday 14 September 2024 |
| Time: | 10:35 UTC |
| Type: |  Kitplanes for Africa Bushbaby |
| Owner/operator: | |
| Registration: | ZU-IJC |
| MSN: | 32 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 403 hours |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Zandspruit Aerodrome -
 South Africa
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Daveyton-Petit Airport (FARA) |
| Zandspruit Aerodrome | |
| Investigating agency: | CAA S.A. |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On Saturday, 14 September 2024, a pilot and a passenger on-board a Bushbaby aircraft registered ZU-IJC took off on a private flight from Petit Aerodrome (FARA) to Zandspruit Aerodrome near Hoedspruit.
As the aircraft approached Zandspruit Aerodrome, the pilot communicated with Hoedspruit Approach who reported the wind to be light and variable. Upon arrival whilst overhead Zandspruit Aerodrome, the pilot conducted a runway inspection (to ensure the absence of wild animals) and assessed the windsock at the northern threshold of the runway which indicated a light northerly wind. The windsock on the southern part, which is positioned next to a hangar 220 metres (m) from the threshold of Runway 35, was tangled up and, thus, the pilot could not use it to assess the wind velocity. The pilot opted to land on Runway 35 which was 1000m long and 10m wide. He stated that on approach, he encountered turbulent conditions. As he eased the aircraft down for a three-point landing (tail dragger aircraft) with the main wheels approximately 30 centimetres (cm) above the runway and the stick well back, a sudden gust of wind lifted the right wing. The pilot attempted to recover from the condition by opting to perform a go-around; he then applied full power. However, the aircraft drifted to the left, the left wing contacted the ground, and the pilot lost control of the aircraft (whilst trying to avoid impacting the hangar). The aircraft careered into the bush terrain and came to rest in a nose-down attitude next to a tree. The aircraft sustained substantial structural damage. No person was injured. A video footage of the approach and the accident sequence was obtained from a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera mounted on a hangar and facing south. The camera was at a distance from where the accident occurred and, therefore, no screenshots of the video footage could be used in this report. The description of the occurrence is in line with the footage.
The pilot was involved in a serious incident with the same aircraft at the same aerodrome on 22 June 2024 on which he lost directional control of the aircraft during landing; the aircraft veered off the runway. In this serious incident, the damage to the aircraft was limited to the left wing.
Probable Cause
A sudden gust of wind from the right (east) lifted the right wing shortly before touchdown and the left wing contacted the ground, the pilot lost control of the aircraft.
Contributing Factor
The pilot was unable to obtain an accurate wind indication based on the windsock on the southern side of the aerodrome (near the threshold of Runway 35) as it was tangled up.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
SACAA
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 18-Nov-2024 10:10 | ASN | Added |
| 18-Nov-2024 10:11 | ASN | Updated [Location, Phase, Narrative, ] |
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