What happened
On 23 November 2016, a Grumman G-164B, registration ZS-KEW, was involved in an accident during an agricultural crop spraying training session near Middelburg Airfield, Mpumalanga. The pilot had departed from Runway 02 and established a pivot point to begin a series of spraying patterns. After successfully completing four patterns, the pilot began a right turn to align for a sixth round. During this maneuver, the aircraft's airspeed decreased significantly while flying at a low altitude.
In an effort to recover lost speed, the pilot applied power and lowered the aircraft's nose. However, the pilot realized a collision was unavoidable when a tree appeared directly ahead. Despite attempting evasive maneuvers, the right wing tip struck the treetops, causing the aircraft to crash. The aircraft came to a rest approximately 58 meters from the initial impact point. There were no injuries to the pilot, though the aircraft sustained substantial damage to the engine mountings, fuselage, wings, cockpit, and elevators.
The investigation
SACAA AIID investigators confirmed that the pilot held a valid commercial license with the appropriate aircraft type endorsement and a current medical certificate. At the time of the accident, the pilot had approximately 25 hours of experience on the Grumman G-164B and a total of 770.1 flying hours.
Technical inspections revealed that the aircraft was maintained by a regulator-approved organization according to approved procedures. The investigation found that the aircraft's weight and fuel load were within the limits specified in the pilot's operating handbook. All observed damage to the aircraft's structure and controls was determined to be the direct result of the impact forces during the crash.