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| Date: | Saturday 28 September 2024 |
| Time: | 10:50 UTC |
| Type: |  Piper PA-28-181 Cherokee |
| Owner/operator: | |
| Registration: | ZS-JUA |
| MSN: | 28-7690106 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Middleburg Airfield (FAMB) -
 South Africa
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Secunda Airport (ZEC/FASC) |
| Middelburg (Transvaal) (FAMB) | |
| Investigating agency: | CAA S.A. |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
A pilot and a passenger on-board a Piper PA-28-181 Cherokee aircraft with registration ZS-JUA took off on a private flight from Bundu Inn Airfield to Secunda Airport (FASC) and Middleburg Airfield (FAMB). The purpose of the flight was for the pilot to build hours towards the issuance of the Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL).
The pilot reported that he conducted the pre-flight checks, and no anomalies were noted. The flight duration of 1 hour and 5 minutes to FASC and FAMB was uneventful. The wind was 350s° at 14 knots (kts), gusting 26 kts on final approach for landing on the asphalt Runway 32. The crosswind of 13 kts was calculated based on the wind conditions.
During the roundout before touchdown, the aircraft drifted to the left of the runway's centreline because the pilot did not compensate for the crosswind. The pilot applied full power to attempt a go-around, but the aircraft sank and touched down hard on the grass surface, left of the runway. The pilot reduced the engine power and engaged the foot brakes. However, during the landing roll, the pilot lost directional control, and the nose gear impacted the taxiway sign. As a result, the nose gear strut broke off and the propeller struck the ground. The aircraft came to a stop on the gravel area approximately 7 metres (m) to the left of the runway. The pilot and the passenger were not injured; however, the aircraft sustained substantial damage to the nose gear, propeller and lower engine cowling.
Probable Cause(s)
Loss of direction control during the landing roll because of failure to compensate for the crosswind which caused the aircraft to veer off to the left of the runway and, subsequently, impacted a taxiway sign.
Contributing Factor(s)
The pilot did not compensate for the crosswind and gusting wind conditions during landing.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
SACAA
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 14-Feb-2025 17:16 | ASN | Added |
| 14-Feb-2025 17:18 | ASN | Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Total occupants, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative, ] |
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