Incident Overview
On 24 October 2003, at 0700Z, a Piper PA-34-220T aircraft registered ZS-LKV was involved in an incident during landing at Secunda Aerodrome (Runway 11). The flight was an industrial aid operation. On board were the pilot and one company employee. No injuries were sustained, and no fatalities occurred. The weather at the time was fine with wind from NNE at 10-15 knots, temperature +24°C, and scattered cloud cover.
Flight Details
The flight originated from Virginia Airport near Durban. The pilot, accompanied by a company employee, flew to Secunda for business. The flight duration was approximately 1 hour and 25 minutes.
Landing and Sequence
On landing at Secunda in what appeared to be gusty crosswind conditions, the pilot allowed the aircraft to balloon and drift off to the left. In an attempt to maintain runway heading, the aircraft touched down heavily on the right-hand landing gear. This resulted in the propeller blades of the No.2 engine striking the runway surface. After becoming aware of the damage, the pilot conducted an engine ground run at Secunda, including a propeller cycling (feathering) procedure, which appeared to show satisfactory operation. The pilot then flew back to Durban with the damaged propeller, a flight of 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Post-Event Actions
Upon landing at Virginia Airport, the pilot reported the incident to a maintenance organisation, which attended to the problem. The propeller was removed from the aircraft and forwarded to a propeller certified maintenance facility for evaluation. The facility found the propeller to be out of safe operating limits and unsafe for further use.
Probable Cause
The probable cause of the incident was that during landing at Secunda in gusty crosswind conditions, the aircraft touched down heavily on the right-hand landing gear, resulting in the propeller of the No.2 engine striking the runway surface.