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| Date: | Wednesday 16 October 2024 |
| Time: | 14:50 UTC |
| Type: |  Cessna 172M Skyhawk |
| Owner/operator: | |
| Registration: | ZS-SUJ |
| MSN: | 17261667 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1973 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Wonderboom Aerodrome (FAWB) -
 South Africa
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Pretoria-Wonderboom Airport (PRY/FAWB) |
| Pretoria-Wonderboom Airport (PRY/FAWB) | |
| Investigating agency: | CAA S.A. |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
A student pilot (SP) on-board a Cessna 172M Skyhawk aircraft with registration ZS-SUJ took off on a local solo training flight from Wonderboom Aerodrome (FAWB) .
The SP reported that he took off from Runway (RWY) 06 at 1315Z and headed to the general flying area (GFA); the flight was uneventful. Upon his return to FAWB, he joined the circuit on downwind leg RWY 06. During final approach at 70 knots (kts) with flaps selected to 30 degrees, he noticed the aircraft's high sink rate. The SP then closed the throttle when the aircraft was over the runway threshold and, during the flare, the aircraft ballooned. He added power to correct the anomaly, but the aircraft landed hard and bounced multiple times on the runway. Consequently, the nose gear strut failed, and the propeller struck the runway surface. The aircraft skidded on its lower engine cowling for approximately 380 metres (m) before it stopped on the left of the runway centreline.
The SP turned off the master switch and exited the aircraft; he was not injured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
Probable Cause(s)
It is likely that the aircraft approached at a high speed and height which prompted the pilot to reduce engine power and the aircraft flared. As a result, the aircraft's height dropped, followed by a hard touch down and several bounces with damage to the nose gear.
Contributing Factor(s)
Lack of experience.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
SACAA
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 17-Feb-2025 09:05 | ASN | Added |
| 17-Feb-2025 09:06 | ASN | Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Total occupants, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative, ] |
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