What happened
On 16 July 2021, a Z194 Cheetah, registration ZU-DDX, departed from the Vrischgewaagol private farm airstrip in Mpumalanga for a local scenic flight. The flight was being conducted under visual meteorological conditions as a private operation. Shortly after takeoff, at an altitude of approximately 100 feet, the pilot noticed the engine began splattering and the RPM indicator dropped rapidly. The engine subsequently ceased operation and could not be restarted.
In an attempt to minimize altitude loss, the pilot attempted to return to the departure strip. During a right-hand turn, the aircraft lost significant height, forcing the pilot to execute an emergency landing in a harvested maize field located roughly 900 meters from the runway. The impact caused substantial damage to the nose landing gear, the left main gear, and the horizontal stabilizer. There were no injuries to the two occupants on board.
The investigation
Investigators examined the aircraft's maintenance history and fuel systems. The aircraft had been in service for less than two years, and the fuel pump was not yet due for its five-year replacement. While the pilot had performed a fuel drain prior to takeoff, some dirt contamination was noted in the fuel.
Post-accident inspections of the carburettor bowls revealed they were empty of fuel. Further technical examination determined that the mechanical vacuum-type fuel pump had failed. This failure prevented the auxiliary electrical pump from delivering fuel to the forward carburettor, resulting in engine starvation.