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| Date: | Saturday 18 January 2025 |
| Time: | 13:27 UTC |
| Type: | Atlas C4M Kudu |
| Owner/operator: | Johannesburg Skydiving Club |
| Registration: | ZS-WXF |
| MSN: | 999 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Minor |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Carletonville Aerodrome (FACR) -
 South Africa
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Parachuting |
| Departure airport: | Carletonville Airport (FACR) |
| Carletonville Airport (FACR) | |
| Investigating agency: | CAA S.A. |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
An Atlas C4M Kudu aircraft with registration ZS-WXF was conducting a parachutist-drop flight from Carletonville Aerodrome (FACR).
After dropping six skydivers, the pilot then descended and moved the throttled back to idle to position the aircraft for landing on Runway 31. He also switched the fuel supply from the right to the left tank during descent. At approximately 5 000ft AGL, he diverted his attention outside the aircraft to look out for canopies (parachutists) and to maintain a safe separation. The pilot positioned the aircraft on the left base leg for Runway 31 and advanced the power lever (throttle) with no response. The pilot then turned on to finals and realised that the engine had stopped (flamed out). He then activated the isolator (ISOL) button which isolated the throttle and, thereafter, pushed the condition lever forward to try and feed fuel directly into the combustion chamber with the intent to restore engine power, but this was to no avail (the ISOL button isolates the fuel control unit (FCU) and pumps fuel directly into the combustion chamber. In addition to the activated ISOL button, the pilot must also press the Start button. However, contaminated fuel will not ignite, as was the case in this accident). The pilot then turned right to avoid colliding with the aerodrome perimeter fence and executed a 3-point landing on a field south-east of the threshold of Runway 31. The aircraft touched down hard and careered through the field for approximately 80m before the right main landing gear strut stopped against an anthill, which subsequently stopped the aircraft. The tail wheel assembly broke off from the welding lug to the shock strut during the landing roll; the pilot was not injured.
Probable Cause
The engine flamed out and stopped due to contaminated fuel which led to the pilot conducting a forced landing. The fuel in the aircraft was obtained from the bowser which was not inspected for contamination prior to replenish the aircraft. The tail wheel assembly broke off during the landing roll.
Contributing Factor(s)
1. Failure to obtain a fuel sample from the bowser before refuelling the aircraft.
2. Contaminated fuel was pumped into the aircraft fuel tank from the bowser.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
SACAA
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 15-Mar-2025 08:58 | ASN | Added |
| 15-Mar-2025 09:03 | ASN | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative, ] |
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