Cessna 208B Caravan Wing Collision at Arathusa Safari Lodge Aerodrome (ZS-KMH and ZS-KMJ)

Incident Overview and Context On 24 November 2025, a serious incident occurred at Arathusa Safari Lodge Aerodrome (FAAR) in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. A Cessna 208B Caravan, registration ZS-KMH, was conducting a non-scheduled commercial passenger flight under Part 135 of the Civil Aviation Regulations. The aircraft was en route to O.R. Tambo International Airport (FAOR) in Gauteng Province. The flight was operating under visual meteorological conditions (VMC) with two pilots and four passengers on board. Prior to departure, a second Cessna 208B Caravan, registration ZS-KMJ, was parked on the apron area at a 45-degree angle to the runway centerline. The crew of ZS-KMH verified clearance from the parked aircraft, and the first officer of ZS-KMJ provided a thumbs-up signal from the ground before moving away due to propeller blast hazards. During the takeoff roll, the crew of ZS-KMH felt a noticeable bump but continued the takeoff after checking the landing gear tires for anomalies. After becoming airborne, the crew was informed via radio by the pilot-in-command of ZS-KMJ that their aircraft had impacted the left wing of ZS-KMJ. Unable to determine the extent of the damage, the ZS-KMH crew returned to FAAR. Upon landing, both crews inspected their aircraft. ZS-KMH sustained minor damage, described as a scratch on the lower left-wing surface, while ZS-KMJ sustained substantial damage to the upper wing surface. No persons were injured in the incident. ## Aircraft and Personnel Details The pilot-in-command of ZS-KMH held a Commercial Pilot Licence and had 953.6 total flying hours, with 651.6 hours on type. The first officer held a Commercial Pilot Licence and had 684.5 total flying hours, with 387.0 hours on type. Both pilots held valid Class 1 aviation medical certificates with no restrictions. The first officer was the pilot flying the sector. The last maintenance inspection of ZS-KMH was certified on 23 October 2025. The aircraft was correctly loaded for the flight according to the weight and balance report. The operator held a Class II Air Service Licence and an Air Operator Certificate under Part 135. ## Aerodrome and Contributing Factors Arathusa Safari Lodge Aerodrome is an unmanned and unlicensed aerodrome with a single asphalt runway oriented 16/34, measuring 1,140 meters in length and 10 meters in width. The apron area forms part of the runway surface. The aerodrome layout chart provided by the operator did not specify requirements for multiple aircraft operations. The probable cause was the crew of ZS-KMH commencing the takeoff roll without ensuring adequate wing-tip clearance from the parked ZS-KMJ. Contributing factors included the failure to conduct a risk assessment, the failure to taxi past the parked aircraft, the wings of ZS-KMH exceeding the runway edge by approximately 2.95 meters, the pilot-in-command not maintaining a constant lookout, the 45-degree parking angle of ZS-KMJ, the operator's operations manual not addressing parking layout for multiple aircraft, the crew's lack of familiarity with the aircraft's dimensions, and the presence of a water drainage ditch to the right of Runway 16.