2023 Schweizer 269C Accident at Zoutpan Farm (ZT-RWJ)

Incident Overview and Location details on 13 April 2023, a Schweizer 269C helicopter, registration ZT-RWJ, was involved in an accident during a game capture operation. The flight departed from Zoutpan Farm in the Baltimore District of Limpopo Province at approximately 0845Z. The intended landing site was the same farm. The accident occurred in bushy terrain at GPS coordinates 23°10'18.53 S, 028°24'39.27 E, at an elevation of 3,100 feet. The flight was conducted under visual meteorological conditions (VMC) and Part 91 of the Civil Aviation Regulations (CAR) 2011. The pilot, a 35-year-old male, held a valid Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) and a Class 1 aviation medical certificate. He had a total of 4,344.0 flying hours, including 969.0 hours on the helicopter type. The helicopter had 2,390.7 total airframe hours at the time of the accident. The aircraft was fitted with a Lycoming HIO-360-D1A engine. The pilot reported taking off with 15 US gallons of fuel and noted 10 US gallons remaining after the landing. The helicopter sustained substantial damage, including collapsed skid gear and a broken tail rotor drive assembly. The pilot was not injured. A follow-up inspection on 19 April 2023 found no damage to the engine or anomalies in the fuel, induction, or electrical systems. The engine started and ran normally during a ground run. The investigation could not determine the cause of the engine stoppage. Contributing factors included wind from the north-east at 20 knots and the low altitude of 60 feet AGL at the time of the power decay, which is within the height velocity diagram. No safety actions or recommendations were issued.