Introduction
On 16 January 2023 at 0707Z, a Cessna 172P Skyhawk, registration ZS-SDA, experienced an accident during take-off from Runway 06 at Wonderboom Aerodrome (FAWB) in Gauteng Province. The flight was a training flight conducted under Part 141 of the Civil Aviation Regulations. The aircraft was occupied by a single student pilot (SP). There were no injuries, and the aircraft sustained substantial damage.
Sequence of Events
The student pilot conducted a pre-flight inspection outside the approved training organisation’s (ATO’s) facility and then started the engine. She contacted ground air traffic control (ATC) on frequency 120.6 MHz for taxi clearance to Runway 06, which was granted. After taxiing to the holding point, she performed engine power checks with normal indications and proceeded to the threshold of Runway 06. Following take-off clearance and pre-take-off checks, she accelerated down the runway. At 55 knots indicated airspeed (IAS), she pulled back on the control column to initiate the climb. The aircraft lifted off but the SP felt it was not responding properly. She attempted to return the aircraft to the ground; as the nose wheel touched down, the stall warning horn sounded and the aircraft veered left off the runway onto the grass. The SP closed the throttle and applied brakes, but during the ground roll the nose gear strut broke off, causing the aircraft to skid on its nose section before stopping. Post-accident, the SP stated she encountered a tailwind during the take-off run. However, the weather report indicated wind from 110° at 7 knots, which resulted in a headwind component of 5 knots and a crosswind component of 6 knots—no tailwind was present.
Findings
The student pilot held a valid Student Pilot Licence and Class 2 medical certificate. The aircraft was airworthy with a current Certificate of Airworthiness and a mandatory periodic inspection valid until November 2023. The weather at the time was visual meteorological conditions (VMC) with wind 110° at 7 knots, temperature 24°C, and QNH 1023 hPa. The Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH) for crosswind take-offs states that the airplane should be accelerated to a slightly higher than normal speed and pulled off abruptly to prevent settling back onto the runway. In this case, the SP rotated at 55 knots without compensating for the crosswind, leading to loss of lift and the subsequent veer-off.
Probable Cause
Loss of control during take-off resulted in the aircraft’s failure to lift-off adequately; this caused the aircraft to settle back onto the runway before it veered off to the left and onto the grass. The cause of the aircraft settling back was due to a lack of compensation for drift which was caused by the crosswind during take-off.