Introduction
On 24 August 1998, at approximately 1646 local time, a Douglas DC3TP aircraft, registration ZS-NKK, crashed during takeoff from runway 11 at Wonderboom Airport. The accident occurred on the first flight after the aircraft had undergone a maintenance inspection that included power assurance checks of the engines.
Maintenance and Pre-Flight Events
On the morning of the accident, final power assurance checks were carried out on the aircraft’s engines. The Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) trimmed the elevator trim tab to the Full Nose UP position in order to reduce the stick forces required to hold the tail down during the checks. However, he did not set the elevator trim back to the neutral position upon completion. The AME was then requested by the pilot(s) to remove the aileron and elevator external gust locks and the landing gear down lock pins. He left the rudder lock in place, which was later removed by one of the pilots. The pilot(s) did not carry out a pre-flight inspection.
Takeoff and Accident
During the takeoff roll, the co-pilot sat in the left-hand seat. He started the engines while the pilot-in-command (PIC) attended to the cockpit checklist. The aircraft began the takeoff with the elevator trim set to the full nose-up position. After rotation, the nose pitched up, causing the pilot to lose control, resulting in the crash.
Injuries
The PIC, who was not wearing a shoulder harness, sustained fatal injuries. The co-pilot, who was wearing a shoulder harness, sustained serious injuries.
Probable Cause
According to the official findings, it would appear that the accident was as a result of the PIC taking off with the elevator trim set to the full nose-up position. This resulted in the nose of the aircraft pitching up after rotation, causing the pilot to lose control of the aircraft.