What happened
On 22 May 2003, a Cessna 172G, registered ZS-EHJ, was performing a repositioning flight from Groblersdal to Secunda. The flight was being conducted by an instructor accompanied by a student pilot on behalf of Karaya Aircraft Services to move the aircraft for scheduled maintenance.
Upon reaching Secunda, the instructor initiated a training maneuver consisting of a simulated forced landing from an altitude of 2,000 feet. During the approach to Runway 29, the aircraft touched down on the compact dirt undershoot area located just before the start of the paved runway. As the aircraft transitioned onto the threshold, the nose wheel struck the exposed edge of the runway, causing minor damage to the aircraft's firewall. There were no injuries to the occupants.
The investigation
The investigation examined the aircraft's maintenance history and the operational status of the operator. Records indicated that the most recent periodic inspection had been completed on 30 May 2002, and the airframe had accumulated 56 hours since that certification.
Regarding the operator, the investigation found that while Karaya Aircraft Services had applied for and paid for the renewal of their Aviation Training Organisation accreditation in February 2003, their certificate had technically expired in April 2003. The renewal inspection was not finalized until June 2003. Furthermore, the ZS-EHJ was not listed on the approved aircraft list for either the expired or the newly issued accreditation certificates.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the aircraft touching down short of the paved runway surface during a simulated emergency procedure.
- The impact of the nose wheel with the runway edge threshold resulted in structural damage to the firewall.
- The aircraft was being operated by a company whose training accreditation was in a state of renewal at the time of the event.
- The specific aircraft involved was not included in the operator's approved aircraft list.