What happened
On April 12, 1999, a Cessania 172, registered ZS-JYV, was conducting a traffic inspection flight over the greater Pretoria region. The flight originated from Fly-In, the aircraft's home base, with the intention of returning to the same location. During the flight, the crew spent considerable time circling the city center to observe recent motor vehicle accidents in the central business district.
While the aircraft was proceeding toward the Ben Schoeman highway at an altitude of approximately 5,500 feet AMSL, the engine began to cut out. In an attempt to restore power, the pilot attempted to switch between the aircraft's fuel tanks, but the engine failed to restart. Faced with a lack of suitable open landing sites, the pilot executed a forced landing on an upward-sloping grass field adjacent to a small shopping center. After touching down, the aircraft crossed a road roughly 70 meters from the initial contact point and came to an abrupt stop against an embankment. There were no fatalities and no injuries reported among the two occupants.
The investigation
Investigators examined the aircraft at the accident site to determine the nature of the engine failure. Upon inspection of the fuel tanks, investigators noted that there was no visible fuel present. However, it was noted that fuel could be drawn from the front inner drain hole while the aircraft was resting in a nose-down position.