What happened
During a flight traveling from Menyamya toward Marawaka, the aircraft encountered worsening weather conditions while navigating through a deep valley. In an attempt to locate a break in the cloud cover to exit the valley, the pilot maneuvered the aircraft, which resulted in the plane reaching a speed of only 80 knots. At this low velocity, the aircraft experienced a stall and subsequently struck trees before impacting the hilly landscape.
Findings
- The accident occurred during the flight phase while the pilot was attempting to navigate through deteriorating weather.
- The primary factor in the crash was the aircraft stalling due to insufficient airspeed during an attempt to find clear airspace.
- The incident resulted in one fatality and nine injuries among the occupants of the aircraft.