What happened
On 6 March 2023, an Ayres S2R-T34 aircraft, registration ZS-LEK, was performing agricultural spraying duties at Farm Maria in the Free State province. The flight was being conducted under visual flight rules (VFR) as part of a routine crop-spraying mission. After completing several chemical loads, the pilot was engaged in a spraying detail when the aircraft struck a high-tension electrical earth conductor wire.
The impact caused the aircraft to crash in a near-vertical attitude at Farm Klein Geluk. The aircraft landed inverted and was consumed by a post-impact fire, resulting in the destruction of the aircraft and the death of the pilot. The collision with the earth wire also interrupted the power supply to a nearby community.
The investigation
SACAA AIID investigators examined the wreckage and found that a section of the high-tension earth conductor wire was still entangled with the aircraft's left landing gear. Analysis of the engine and propeller components revealed that the engine was operating at high power during the impact. Specifically, the engine was running at high speed, and the sudden stoppage upon impact caused two propeller blades to shear off due to inertia.
The investigation also reviewed the pilot's credentials and the aircraft's maintenance history. The pilot was highly experienced, with approximately 18,690 total flying hours, including 16,690 hours on the Ayres S2R-T34. The aircraft's maintenance records showed it had been properly inspected and was in compliance with all regulatory requirements prior to the flight.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was a collision with a high-tension earth wire during a pull-out maneuver following a spraying pass.
- A loss of situational awareness contributed to the accident, as the pilot failed to account for the wire in the flight path.
- The aircraft's flight profile—pitching the nose up to clear obstacles while flying at low altitude (3m to 5m)—likely obscured the visibility of the wires, which were partially hidden by trees.
- The pilot's concentration may have been degraded following the completion of the final spray track, leading to a deviation from the planned route and a failure to recognize the hazard.