What happened
On 8 December 2005, a Cessna 210B, registration ZS-CTZ, was conducting a private flight from Polokwane International Aerodrome toward Tempe Aerodrome. While the pilot was descending from flight level 085 to 065 to mitigate turbulence, the engine ceased operation. In an effort to restore power, the pilot transitioned the fuel selector to the left-hand tank, but the engine failed to restart. Following standard emergency protocols, the pilot issued a mayday call to Johannesburg Information and executed a controlled forced landing on a tar road situated between Mookgopong and Tuinplaas, adjacent to a military installation. There were no injuries and no fatalities resulting from the incident.
The investigation
Investigators examined the aircraft following the landing. During a post-incident inspection on the ground, the pilot observed a blue stain around the right-hand fuel tank cap and noted that the cap appeared to be leaking. Although the pilot attempted to restart the engine once fuel was confirmed to be present in the tanks, takeoff was prohibited until engineers could inspect the aircraft. The subsequent ground inspection by engineers revealed no identifiable anomalies during the engine start-up process. Additionally, the investigation reviewed the maintenance history of the aircraft, noting that the Approved Maintenance Organisation (AMO) responsible for certifying the most recent periodic inspection did not hold a valid approval certificate at the time, as their SACAA audit had expired in September 2003.
Findings
- The pilot was operating under a valid commercial license and medical certificate.
- A leak was observed around the right-hand fuel tank cap during the ground inspection.
- The exact cause of the engine failure could not be determined.
- The maintenance organization that performed the last periodic inspection lacked a current SACAA audit approval.