What happened
On 26 October 1999, a Piper PA28R-200, registration ZS-FWT, was involved in a ground incident at Kob Inn. Following a landing on Runway 06, the pilot began taxiing the aircraft toward the end of the runway with the intention of performing a runway backtrack. During this maneuver, the nose wheel encountered a depression in the runway surface, causing it to sink roughly 100mm into a trench. There were no fatalities and no injuries reported among the three occupants on board.
The investigation
Investigators examined the condition of the runway surface and the history of the site. It was established that the trench had been excavated approximately four months prior to the incident to facilitate the installation of an underground electrical cable. While the trench had been covered, the presence of soft and wet sand within the depression contributed to the gear's failure to remain on the surface. The pilot noted that the weather conditions were fine with light winds, and a prior inspection of the runway before takeoff had indicated the surface was suitable for operations.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the nose undercarriage collapse resulting from the nose wheel entering a trench.
- The trench was a remnant of previous electrical cable installation work.
- Heavy rainfall in the period preceding the accident had rendered the sand covering the trench soft and unstable.