History of Flight
On Friday morning, 9 July 2021, a flight instructor and a student pilot on board a Sling 2 aircraft with registration ZU-FZZ took off from Panorama Airfield in Gauteng province to conduct circuit training and touch-and-go exercises. The flight was conducted under Part 141 of the Civil Aviation Regulations. The student pilot completed three touch-and-go circuits successfully, then landed the aircraft and the flight instructor disembarked. The student pilot then took off again to undertake a solo consolidation flight, completing five circuit-and-landing exercises without incident.
Accident Sequence
On the sixth circuit, the student pilot changed from landing Runway 20 to landing Runway 02 after observing the windsock and noticing that the wind direction had changed. During landing, the student pilot lost directional control of the aircraft and veered off to the left side of the runway. He took corrective action by opting to lift off again to avoid colliding with vegetation. However, the aircraft’s landing gears got caught by vegetation, causing the aircraft to stall and subsequently crash on an open field approximately 120 metres to the left of Runway 02.
Injuries and Damage
The student pilot was fatally injured during the accident sequence. The aircraft was destroyed by impact and a post-impact fire. There were no other injuries.
Meteorological Information
At the time of the accident, the surface wind was 290° at 6 knots, temperature 16°C, dew point 1°C, CAVOK, QNH 1030 hPa.
Probable Cause
The probable cause, as determined by the investigation, was that the student pilot lost directional control of the aircraft during landing, causing it to veer off the runway. While attempting to lift off to clear vegetation ahead, the aircraft impacted the vegetation and stalled before crashing to the ground.