What happened
On 16 November 2005, a Mooney M20J, registration ZS-LBU, was conducting a private flight from Lanseria Aerodrome to Hazyview Aerodrome. The flight proceeded without incident until the arrival phase at Hazyview. While attempting to land on the grass surface of runway 19, the pilot deployed full flaps at an indicated airspeed of 60 kts. During the landing sequence, the pilot misjudged the approach, leading to a hard landing. The impact caused the nose landing gear to collapse, which subsequently resulted in the propeller striking the ground.
The investigation
SACAA AIID investigators examined the circumstances surrounding the landing and the aircraft's maintenance history. The investigation confirmed that the weather conditions at the time of the incident were favorable, with a temperature of 2/27°C and a westerly wind of 10 kts. The aircraft's maintenance records were reviewed, noting that the last mandatory periodic inspection (MPI) had been completed on 21 April 2005. At the time of the incident, the aircraft had accumulated an additional 51.86 hours since that inspection. The maintenance organization responsible for the certification was found to hold a valid approval certificate.
Findings
- The aircraft sustained minor damage to the propeller blades and the underside of the nose section.
- There were no injuries reported for the pilot.
- The primary factor in the gear collapse was the pilot's misjudgment of the landing approach.