What happened
On the afternoon of 23 May 2023, a Piper Cherokee, PA 28-140, registration ZS-IKY, was performing circuit-and-landing exercises at Lanseria International Airport (FALA) in Gauteng. The flight, a hire-and-fly operation intended to assist the pilot in building hours toward a Commercial Pilot Licence, was operating under visual meteorological conditions.
During the third circuit of the flight, air traffic control instructed the pilot to perform two left-hand orbits to accommodate other traffic before proceeding with a full-stop landing. As the aircraft approached Runway 07, the pilot maintained an indicated airspeed of 65 knots with flaps set at 25 degrees. Upon touchdown, the aircraft ballooned and bounced. Following the bounce, the pilot lost directional control and applied the brakes with varying pressure, causing the aircraft to veer left. The aircraft skidded 23 metres off the runway edge, resulting in the collapse of the nose gear and contact between the propeller blades and the right wing tip with the runway surface. There were no fatalities and no injuries to the two occupants.
The investigation
SACAA AIID examined the flight parameters and the pilot's recent training history. The investigation established that the pilot had recently undergone conversion training from a Cessna 172 to the Piper 28 series only four days prior to the accident. At the time of the occurrence, the pilot had approximately one hour of experience on this specific aircraft type, which was below the two-hour minimum requirement specified in the South African Civil Aviation Technical Standard.
Investigators also reviewed the aircraft's maintenance records, noting that the last mandatory periodic inspection had been completed roughly a week before the incident. The investigation confirmed that the weather conditions were clear and had no impact on the event, and that the aircraft's braking system was found to be serviceable during recovery.
Findings
- The aircraft was unstable on approach due to excessive airspeed during the flare.
- The pilot's approach speed of 65 knots exceeded the recommended speed of 68 knots (calculated for 25 degrees of flaps) by 14 knots relative to the ideal touchdown speed.
- The high speed caused the aircraft to balloon and land heavily on all landing gear, triggering the subsequent bounce and loss of control.