History of Flight
On Friday, 8 April 2022, at approximately 0940Z, a flight instructor and a student pilot departed from Cape Town International Airport (FACT) in a Piper PA-38-112 (Tomahawk), registration ZS-AXE. The flight was a training exercise under Part 141 of the Civil Aviation Regulations, intending to conduct touch-and-go circuit training at Diemerskraal Aerodrome before returning to FACT. The weather was visual meteorological conditions with a significant crosswind from both sides of the runway orientations 04 and 22. During the flight, the crew discussed the weather and attempted to contact the aerodrome owner for an update but were unsuccessful. They omitted some in-flight and approach checks and did not change the selected fuel tank.
Upon arrival, the instructor decided to demonstrate crosswind technique despite strong winds. A maximum rudder with appropriate bank angle to the left was used on final approach and maintained through touchdown. After the initial touch-and-go, the instructor decided to return to FACT due to the strong wind. During the initial climb at approximately 150 feet above ground level, the engine began to lose power, surged, and then stopped. With little time to react, the pilots opted for a straight-ahead forced landing on an open field.
The aircraft contacted the ground with its right main landing gear first, rolling for 17 meters before the left and nose gear contacted the ground. It continued rolling for about 7 meters, then bounced. On the second contact, all three landing gears touched down and rolled for approximately 5 meters before another bounce. On the third contact, the nose impacted first, causing the nose landing gear to bend backward.
Injuries and Damage
The instructor sustained a back injury during the accident sequence; the student pilot was not injured. The aircraft suffered substantial damage.
Investigation Findings
Post-accident investigation revealed that the prolonged low-wing technique used to counter the crosswind, combined with low fuel content in the tank, caused fuel to migrate toward the left wingtip, away from the fuel outlet point. This resulted in a total loss of fuel flow to the engine.
Probable Cause
The probable cause was a prolonged low-wing technique used to counter the crosswind while the fuel content was low, causing fuel migration to the left wingtip and subsequent loss of engine power. A contributory factor was the failure to monitor or manage fuel, leading to the loss of engine power.