Accident Summary
On 8 February 2022 at approximately 0900Z, a Cessna U206G aircraft with registration ZS-SYW was conducting an aerial survey flight under Part 135 operations. The flight departed from Kitty Hawk Aerodrome (FAKT) in Gauteng province to survey power lines near Matla Power Station in Mpumalanga province. The aircraft was occupied by a pilot and a camera operator. Weather conditions were visual meteorological conditions (VMC) by day.
Sequence of Events
The aircraft took off with full fuel tanks, each containing 170 litres of Avgas. The pilot initially selected the left tank. After about an hour, she switched to the right tank and continued for another hour, then alternated tanks every 30 minutes. While on the second-last survey line at approximately 0850Z, the aircraft encountered a severe updraft from heat expelled by smokestacks, but it was not negatively affected.
As the pilot prepared for the final survey line, she switched from the left to the right tank, which contained more fuel, intending to route to Secunda for refueling. She turned and flew back over Matla Power Station at 7200 ft (1800 ft above ground level). While picking up the survey line on the far side of the power station, the aircraft experienced a total loss of engine power. The pilot attempted an in-flight engine restart, which failed. She then executed a forced landing on a private farm field with overgrown grass that concealed holes on the ground. Neither the pilot nor the camera operator was injured, but the aircraft was substantially damaged.
Probable Cause
The engine stopped in-flight as a result of fuel starvation, causing the pilot to execute a forced landing on an unprepared field (with overgrown grass concealing holes on the ground).