What happened
On the morning of November 21, 1999, a Beech C23, registered ZS-KCM, was involved in a ground accident at Rustenburg. The aircraft was being operated for training purposes by a student pilot. During a routine circuit and landing training session, the pilot performed a second touch-and-go maneuver. As the aircraft was accelerating for takeoff, the pilot was unable to maintain directional control, leading the aircraft to veer off the runway and strike the airport boundary fence.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of events during the takeoff roll following the touch-and-go landing. It was established that the weather conditions at the time of the occurrence were fine. The impact with the fence caused the right-hand main undercarriage to collapse, which resulted in extensive damage to the Beech C23. There were no injuries to the pilot, and no other persons were on board the aircraft at the time of the accident.
Findings
- The primary factor in the accident was that the pilot lost directional control during the takeoff phase following a touch-and-go landing.