Incident Overview
On 25 October 2023, a serious incident occurred involving a Savannah VG ultralight aircraft (registration BEN-01-APN) operated by African Parks Network. The aircraft was conducting an aerial surveillance mission over the Parc W area near Barabon. The Bureau Enquêtes-Accidents (BEA) of Benin investigated the event.
Flight Details
The flight departed from the operator's base in Parc W at 15:30 local time. On board were the pilot (commander) and a ranger serving as an observer. Earlier that day, a similar surveillance flight had been performed between 09:00 and 12:00.
Incident Sequence
After a few minutes of flight, the pilot noted multiple anomalies on the instrument panel: strong vibrations, smoke emissions, and a sudden decrease in engine power. Standard checks were performed but did not improve the situation. The pilot then initiated a forced landing procedure, which was executed successfully.
Damage
The aircraft sustained minor damage during the forced landing. No other property damage was reported.
Additional Information
The planned flight route and the actual trajectory were recorded. The intended route was to follow a path to a specific intersection point at coordinates UTM 31P 473603 / 1299909 (11°45'32.1732"E 2°45'27.8136"N). The incident occurred before reaching that point.