Fatal CFIT at Rooisand Desert Ranch Aerodrome (V5-CAS)

Incident Overview and Mission Context A single-engine aircraft, chartered by International SOS, was dispatched to the Rooisand Desert Ranch Aerodrome to transport a medical team and retrieve a patient who had been involved in a car accident. The aircraft arrived at the Rooisand Airstrip approximately 15 minutes before sunset. Because the airfield lacked lighting systems and night conditions were developing, the pilot requested that individuals park their vehicles along the runway with their lights illuminated to provide visual guidance. ## Flight Path and Impact Following takeoff, the aircraft proceeded westbound with a 12-knot tailwind. The intended procedure required the aircraft to circle the runway two or three times to gain sufficient altitude to clear the surrounding hills. Instead, the aircraft turned right toward a hill that stood 258 metres higher than the runway end. After traveling approximately 4.8 kilometres toward the hill, the aircraft banked steeply to the left and turned back toward the southeast. It then descended to a height of 191 metres before striking the slope of the hill. The wreckage was located 17 metres below the hill's summit, and all four occupants were killed. ## Official Probable Cause The investigation determined that the accident was a controlled flight into terrain resulting from a combination of factors. These included the pilot's decision to depart from an airfield unsuitable for night operations, the absence of a copilot which increased the captain's workload, and reduced visibility due to night conditions and a lack of ground reference points. Additionally, the pilot's inability to clearly read instrument panel parameters because he had forgotten his corrective glasses contributed to the outcome.