Accident Details
A chartered flight departed from Manzengwenya Aerodrome with the pilot and five passengers, destined for Virginia Aerodrome (FAVG). The pilot reported that while it was drizzling, visibility remained good. Upon reaching the vicinity, the pilot communicated his position to the FAVG air traffic controller and requested joining instructions. The controller cleared the aircraft to land on Runway 05.
As the aircraft approached short finals, the tower observed the aircraft deviating from the runway centerline and alerted the pilot. The pilot responded that he was experiencing an engine problem and initiated a go-around. The aircraft turned left, away from the runway centerline, and the pilot allowed the aircraft to continue flying over the nearby M4 highway before heading toward a residential area.
The aircraft subsequently struck the roof of a private residential property, making initial contact with the left wing followed by the nose section. The aircraft came to rest in a tail-high, inverted position. Although the wreckage remained relatively intact, both the aircraft and the residential property sustained extensive damage.
On impact, the left wing failed outboard of the engine. The nose of the aircraft and the cabin instrumentation area were crushed toward the front-seated passengers. Additional damage included both main wing spars, the nose wheel, engine mounts, propellers, and the fuselage.
Aircraft Information
The aircraft held a valid Certificate of Airworthiness issued on 17 September 2004, with an expiry date of 16 September 2005. The last Mandatory Periodic Inspection (MPI) was certified on 03 September 2004 at 7594.2 airframe hours. Since that inspection, the aircraft had accumulated an additional 75.8 flight hours.
Following the accident, the aircraft was recovered to an approved Aircraft Maintenance Organisation (AMO) for further investigation. Both flight and engine controls were found to be satisfactory. Ground run tests were conducted with both engines still installed on the aircraft; both engines performed satisfactorily during these performance tests. The AMO had been audited within the last two years, with the most recent audit occurring on 01 July 2005.
Investigation
The official probable cause of the accident was determined to be the pilot's incorrect go-around technique and inappropriate actions during the emergency situation, which aggravated the situation. Contributory factors included prevalent carburetor icing probability conditions for any power setting and the pilot's lack of experience on the aircraft type.