Incident Details
A Piper PA 34-220T, registration ZS-LTX, was involved in an incident on 10 March 2005 at Sishen Aerodrome. The flight, which was a private operation, departed Wonderboom Aerodrome (FAWB) at approximately 1200Z with five persons on board. The weather at the time of the incident included surface wind from 305° at 15 knots gusting 25 knots, a temperature of 30°C, and good visibility.
Sequence of Events
After approximately two hours of flight, the aircraft joined overhead Sishen aerodrome at 2000 feet AGL. The pilot assessed the wind to be from the north-west and elected to land on Runway 35. The indicated airspeed over the runway threshold was about 100 knots with the wind from the left. Shortly before touchdown, the aircraft encountered a sudden sink rate. The pilot applied back-pressure on the control column but was unable to arrest the descent, resulting in a hard landing that caused the aircraft to bounce. During the bounce, the aircraft rolled to the left and pitched down, leading to the left propeller contacting the runway surface on the second touchdown. After the aircraft came to a halt, it was taxied to the apron. A post-flight inspection revealed that the propeller was damaged, rendering further flight unsafe.
Probable Cause
The probable cause of the incident was that the pilot executed a hard landing, which caused the aircraft to bounce. He applied the incorrect recovery technique by allowing the aircraft to roll to the left and pitch down, resulting in the left propeller striking the runway surface during the second touchdown.