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| Date: | Sunday 6 October 2024 |
| Time: | 10:50 UTC |
| Type: |  Cessna 172P |
| Owner/operator: | |
| Registration: | ZS-OBD |
| MSN: | 172-75121 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Baragwanath Airfield (FASY) -
 South Africa
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Johannesburg/Germiston-Rand Airport (QRA/FAGM) |
| Johannesburg/Germiston-Rand Airport (QRA/FAGM) | |
| Investigating agency: | CAA S.A. |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
A flight instructor (FI) and a student pilot (SP) on-board a Cessna 172P aircraft with registration ZS-OBD took off on a training flight from Rand Airport (FAGM) to Baragwanath Airfield (FASY).
The FI stated that the training flight was intended to assess the SP's progress in navigating to and from the general flying area (GFA), independently. The pair had planned to start with a precautionary landing exercise at FASY. Upon their arrival at FASY, the FI broadcasted their position as well as relayed their intention to join the circuit and practise precautionary landings on Runway (RWY) 13. Whilst on final approach for landing RWY 13, the SP flared the
aircraft, and it bounced on touchdown. The FI took control of the aircraft and applied full power to initiate a go-around. However, when the FI announced to the SP that he had control of the aircraft, the SP neither acknowledged the handover nor relinquished the controls. At this stage, the aircraft was flying at a low speed with a slight left-bank attitude.
The SP stated that after the bounce, the FI took over the control of the aircraft but did not explicitly mention the words 'I have the controls'; he simply stated, 'I got it'. Thereafter, he (SP) let go of the controls. The FI stated that he was managing the situation to prevent an adverse outcome which required subtle opposite rudder input and gentle corrective manoeuvring to stabilise the aircraft.
However, the SP instinctively took control again. The FI took over the controls with an assertive attitude this time as the SP's initial pull-back of the controls had stalled the left wing. The FI further stated that the aircraft could have entered an incipient spin at a low altitude with a high-nose attitude.
The FI had little time to respond and had to rely on Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT) principles. He applied forward pressure on the controls to reverse the stall of the left wing; he followed this with a small but crucial input of the opposite rudder to achieve a level flight. Despite the attempt to recover the aircraft, it drifted significantly to the left of RWY 13 and impacted the unprepared surface of the airfield.
Probable Cause(s)
The aircraft flared too high, and it bounced during touchdown. The instructor initiated a go-aroundwhich was unsuccessful.
Contributing Factor(s)
Crew miscommunication.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
SACAA
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 17-Feb-2025 09:07 | ASN | Added |
| 17-Feb-2025 09:10 | ASN | Updated [Aircraft type, Total occupants, Location, Phase, Narrative, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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