What happened
On August 25, 2000, a Cessna U206F, registered as ZS-JCB, was conducting a private flight from Rustenburg toward a farm in the McCarthy's Rest area. During the landing sequence at the McCarthy's Rest runway, the pilot experienced a bounced touchdown. While attempting a second touchdown, the aircraft drifted from its centerline and veered toward the left side of the runway.
As the aircraft moved off the paved surface, the nose landing gear struck an embankment located at the edge of the runway. The force of this impact caused the aircraft to flip over. Despite the severity of the rollover, there were no injuries reported among the three occupants on board.
The investigation
SACAA AIID investigators examined the circumstances surrounding the landing at McCarthy's Rest. The investigation focused on the flight path during the touchdown phase and the physical impact with the runway perimeter. The inquiry established that the weather conditions at the time of the accident were fine, and the pilot held a valid private pilot license with 16 hours of experience on this specific aircraft type.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was that the pilot lost directional control of the aircraft during the landing process.
- The sequence of events was initiated by an unstable first touchdown involving a bounce.
- The impact with the runway embankment was the direct cause of the aircraft flipping.