What happened
On 27 December 2007, a Windlass Trike, registration ZU-AFC, was involved in an incident during takeoff from Microland Aerodrome in Gauteng. Prior to departure, the pilot had been using a fuel container placed atop the engine to gravity-feed fuel into the aircraft's tank via a hose. After completing the refueling process, the pilot removed the hose but failed to remove the container from the engine area.
As the aircraft departed from Runway 03 for a private local flight, the container shifted backward due to movement. The shifting container was subsequently struck by the propeller blades. The pilot immediately responded by closing the throttle and performing an emergency landing to the right of the runway. No injuries were reported following the event.
The investigation
The investigation examined the sequence of events leading to the propeller strike and the state of the aircraft's maintenance. It was established that the weather conditions were fine, with calm winds and a temperature of 24ºC. The aircraft had recently undergone its annual inspection in March 2007, with only 3.12 flight hours accumulated since that inspection. The investigation focused on the presence of the unsecured container during the takeoff roll.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was that the pilot departed the aerodrome with the fuel container still positioned on top of the engine.
- The incident was further contributed to by an inadequate or non-existent pre-flight inspection.
- The impact of the container resulted in damage to the propeller blades, the engine air filter, and the wing.