Aircraft and Registration
The aircraft involved was a Gyroplane registered as ZU-DYV.
Date and Location
The incident occurred on 27 June 2006 at 1300Z on Runway 18 at Redhill farm near Tzaneen. The runway had a flat base marking the threshold and then made a steep slope up a mountain.
Flight Details
The flight was a private pleasure flight. The pilot, who held a valid licence with 91 total flying hours and 66 hours on type, took off from Phalaborwa Aerodrome and landed safely at Redhill farm. Later, he flew with the owner of the farm for about 25 minutes in the vicinity of the farm before deciding to land.
Sequence of Events
Upon returning to land, the pilot observed vehicles with people parked on the side next to the flat section of the runway. He decided to land deeper on the runway for the safety of those people. Due to the steeper slope of the runway, he pulled the stick too far back, resulting in a loss of speed and a hard landing. The pilot reported he could not abort the landing due to a mountain ahead and high trees on both sides, approximately 50m from the runway.
Damage
The aircraft sustained damage to the rear wheel strut, front wheel fork, and propeller blades. The pilot and passenger sustained no injuries.
Probable Cause
The pilot did not maintain appropriate approach speed to land on a steep up-sloping runway and he landed the aircraft hard.