History of Flight
The pilot, conducting agricultural crop spraying training (Ag Nav) in a Grumman G-164B registered ZS-KEW, departed from Runway 02 at Middelburg Airfield (FAMB) and turned left toward the training area. After marking a pivot point, the pilot completed four uneventful swap spraying patterns, each consisting of two circles. During the fifth swap spray, while making a right turn to align for the sixth round, the pilot noticed the aircraft was flying too low and slow. Attempting to recover speed by adding power and dropping the nose, the pilot saw a tree ahead and took evasive action, but the right wing tip collided with the tree top, causing the aircraft to crash. The aircraft came to rest approximately 58 meters from the point of impact, facing the direction from which it had come. The pilot was not injured.
The accident occurred at GPS coordinates S 25°41'52.55", E 029°26'36.32" at an elevation of 4910 feet, about 0.62 nautical miles from Middelburg Airfield on a bearing of 171.8 degrees from the threshold of Runway 20. Meteorological conditions were daylight with wind from 010° at 5 knots, visibility 9999 meters, 2/8 cloud cover, and temperature 25°C.
Investigation Findings
The pilot held a valid commercial pilot license with a type endorsement for the Grumman G-164B, a valid medical certificate, and had accumulated 770.1 total flying hours, including 25 hours on type. The aircraft was equipped and maintained in accordance with approved procedures by a regulator-approved maintenance organization. All damage to the aircraft was attributed to impact forces, with substantial damage to the fuselage, wings, cockpit elevators, and engine mountings. Fuel on board was sufficient, and weight was within limits per the pilot's operating handbook.
The pilot stated that the aircraft stalled during the exercise while at low height and slow forward speed. Following the stall, the aircraft collided with a tree as the pilot attempted to regain forward speed.
Probable Cause
The aircraft crash was due to collision with a tree in an attempt to regain forward speed following a stall during a crop spraying training exercise.