History of Flight
On Wednesday afternoon, 21 February 2024, at approximately 1410Z, a flight instructor and a student pilot departed Rand Aerodrome (FAGM) in Germiston aboard a Cessna 172K aircraft with registration ZS-FJU. Their destination was Baragwanath Aerodrome (FASY) in Westonaria, where they planned to conduct touch-and-go landing exercises before returning to FAGM. Both aerodromes are in Gauteng province. The flight was conducted under visual meteorological conditions by day, in accordance with Part 141 of the South African Civil Aviation Regulations.
The aircraft arrived at FASY and entered the circuit. An eyewitness, an employee at the aerodrome seated near the end of Runway 31, reported that ZS-FJU was the only aircraft in the circuit. The aircraft performed two touch-and-go landings on Runway 31. During the third attempt, the aircraft did not land but flew approximately one metre above the runway surface. Upon reaching the end of the runway, it climbed to an unknown height. Shortly thereafter, the engine sound became quieter, and the aircraft executed a right-hand turn while descending. Moments later, the engine was heard revving at high power before the aircraft impacted the ground.
Injuries and Damage
The flight instructor and the student pilot sustained fatal injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The wreckage came to rest after skidding approximately 20 metres. The accident occurred at 1450Z at GPS coordinates 26°20'41.61"S 27°46'25.59"E, about 211 metres to the left of Runway 13 threshold at Baragwanath Aerodrome. The aircraft was operated by Sun Quest Trading.
Meteorological Information
At the time of the accident, the surface wind was from 290° at 9 knots, visibility was 9999 metres, cloud cover was nil, temperature was 29°C, dew point was 13°C, and the QNH was 1019 hPa.
Probable Cause
The probable cause of the accident was that the flight instructor and the student pilot lost control of the aircraft after a wingover manoeuvre during circuit training. A contributory factor was the disregard of the HASELL checklist.