Incident Details
On 4 December 2006 at 1045Z, a Piper PA-28-140 aircraft (registration ZS-IEJ) experienced an incident while landing on Runway 22 at Margate Aerodrome. The student pilot, who held a private pilot licence with 53 total flying hours (all on type), was performing circuits and landing exercises. During final approach at an indicated airspeed of 90 mph, the aircraft encountered turbulent wind conditions. The right-hand wing dropped lower, and when the pilot attempted to compensate, directional control was lost. The aircraft bounced on landing, causing the propeller to strike the runway surface.
Aircraft Information
The aircraft was a Piper PA-28-140, registered on 9 September 2005. The Certificate of Airworthiness was valid at the time of the incident, with an expiry date of 24 May 2007. The last Mandatory Periodic Inspection (MPI) was certified on 15 November 2006 at a total of 8251.08 airframe hours. The aircraft had flown 28.12 hours since that inspection. According to available SACAA records, all Airworthiness Directives (ADs) and Service Bulletins (SBs) had been complied with, and the aircraft was type accepted. The Approved Maintenance Organisation (AMO) was audited by the CAA on 15 June 2006 with no major findings. The Aviation Training Organisation (ATO) was audited on 17 May 2005 with no major findings.
Pilot Information
The pilot was a student pilot with a valid private pilot licence. Total flying experience was 53 hours, all on the incident aircraft type. The flight was conducted under training operations.
Meteorological Conditions
Surface wind was south-easterly at 10 knots, described as turbulent at 15 knots. Visibility was CAVOK (ceiling and visibility OK).
Damage and Injuries
The aircraft sustained damage to the right-hand main landing gear, nose gear, and propeller. No injuries were reported among the single occupant (the pilot).
Probable Cause
The pilot lost directional control of the aircraft on landing in turbulent wind conditions.