What happened
In the early morning hours, a flight was scheduled to depart from Rand Airport for Lanseria International Airport (FALA) to facilitate customs clearance. The flight was operating under weather conditions involving forecasted thunderstorms and rain across the Gauteng region. After receiving clearance from FAOR approach, the aircraft type departed from Runway 29 and headed west. At an altitude of 6500 feet AMSL, control was transferred from Rand Tower to Approach.
At the time of the approach, visibility at FALA was reported at 600m with a cloud base of 600 feet AGL. The pilot requested a VOR Z approach for Runway 07, initiating the procedure at 8000 feet. After being handed over to FALA control, the pilot was provided with a specific heading to follow at the missed approach point (MAP). Upon reaching the MAP, the pilot reported that the runway was not visible and initiated a go-around procedure, climbing to 8000 feet as directed.
Following the go-around, the aircraft was returned to Approach control for repositioning. Although the pilot considered diverting to Polokwane if visibility did not improve, the aircraft returned to FALA control at a distance of 12nm. During the descent, the pilot's communications became repetitive. While the pilot briefly reported having the field in sight and received landing clearance, they soon reported losing visual contact with the runway. After being instructed to divert to Polokwane, the pilot transmitted a distress signal. Shortly thereafter, a loud explosion and black smoke were observed behind a hangar.
Findings
- The flight was operating in low visibility and heavy weather conditions.
- The crew attempted multiple approaches due to the inability to maintain visual contact with the runway.