What happened
On 1 July 2022, a private flight departed from Potchefstroom Aerodrome (FAPS) in the North West province, destined for Brits Aerodrome (FABS). The aircraft, a RAI-6 Foxtrot with registration ZU-IKT, was operated under Part 94 regulations with a pilot and one passenger on board. The flight proceeded normally through clear visual meteorological conditions, reaching an altitude of 6,500 feet before routing toward the destination.
Upon arrival at the unmanned Brits Aerodrome, the pilot announced the intention to land on Runway 02. While the pilot initially described the approach as stable, the aircraft experienced a significant mechanical failure during the landing roll. The nose gear strut failed, causing the aircraft to skid along the runway surface. The impact resulted in substantial damage to the aircraft, though there were 0 fatalities and no injuries to the occupants.
The investigation
SACAA AIID investigators examined the wreckage and reviewed video footage of the landing. The inspection of the nose gear assembly revealed that the lower portion of the gear, which is secured by a split pin and a castellable nut, had been forced against the runway. This intense friction caused the nut and pin to shear and separate from the main strut.
Analysis of the video footage by manufacturer representatives suggested that the aircraft touched down at a high angle-of-attack. The footage indicated that the nose of the aircraft slammed down, followed by a nose wheel shimmy, while the pilot's pitch attitude remained flat, suggesting a lack of effort to shift weight off the nosewheel. The manufacturer noted that this specific strut design had been used since 2008 without known failures of this nature.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was poor landing technique, specifically a high angle-of-attack during touchdown.
- The aircraft's nose slammed down onto the runway, placing excessive vertical load on the nose gear.
- The pilot did not attempt to reduce the weight on the nosewheel during the landing sequence.
- The mechanical failure was a direct result of the hard landing, which caused the nose gear components to shear and the gear to fold backward.
- There were no pre-existing mechanical defects or maintenance anomalies found in the nose landing gear prior to the event.