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| Date: | Thursday 10 October 2024 |
| Time: | 14:17 UTC |
| Type: |  Airplane Factory Sling 4 High Wing |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | ZU-KFJ |
| MSN: | 016G |
| Total airframe hrs: | 14 hours |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Vrede -
 South Africa
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | |
| Investigating agency: | CAA S.A. |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
A Sling 4 High Wing aircraft with registration ZU-KFJ was engaged in a private local flight from a farm's airstrip in Vrede, Free State province.
The pilot stated that he took off from his farm's airstrip around 1400Z and headed west. Fine weather conditions with 'little to no winds' prevailed at the time of the flight. Upon his return to the take-off airstrip, he conducted an unmanned runway joining procedure. As he flew over the runway to conduct the runway inspection, he noticed that the windsock indicated a light wind blowing from the south-west. During landing before touchdown, a whirlwind from the right caused the aircraft to bounce. The pilot lost directional control of the aircraft which veered off to the left of the runway. Before the pilot could take any action to correct the direction, the nose landing gear contacted an uneven surface and broke off; this caused the aircraft to nose over. The aircraft came to rest in an inverted attitude with the nose facing the direction of approach.
The aircraft sustained substantial damage. The pilot exited the aircraft unassisted; however, he sustained serious back injuries. He was taken to the nearby hospital by a family member for a thorough medical assessment.
In the pilot questionnaire form, the pilot reported the weather conditions as follows: Wind direction: south-west; wind speed: 05 kt; visibility: 10000m
Probable Cause(s)
The aircraft encountered a whirlwind during landing which caused the pilot to lose control of the aircraft. The
aircraft landed hard, bounced and veered off to the left of the runway. This caused the nose gear failure and
the aircraft subsequently nosed over before it rested in an inverted position.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
SACAA
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 14-Feb-2025 17:19 | ASN | Added |
| 14-Feb-2025 17:20 | ASN | Updated [Operator, Location, Phase, Destination airport, Narrative, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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