What happened
On 11 February 2001, a Cessna 210, registered ZS-MAK, was engaged in a commercial flight operation involving a type conversion training session. The flight originated from Nylstroom (FANY) and was headed toward George (FAWB). The aircraft was carrying five people, including a student pilot and an instructor, with the intent of practicing take-offs and landings under heavy load conditions.
While practicing a glide approach for runway 11, the student pilot, who was handling the controls, attempted to stretch the glide by raising the aircraft's nose. This maneuver caused the airspeed to drop and the descent rate to increase. Although the instructor intervened by taking control and applying full power, the aircraft struck the grass approximately 100 meters short of the runway 11 threshold. The impact caused significant damage to the nose landing gear, forcing the pilot to use heavy right rudder to maintain directional control. After briefly becoming airborne again in a nose-high attitude, the pilot declared an emergency and performed a teardrop approach to runway 24. Upon landing on runway 24, the nose gear collapsed entirely, resulting in propeller damage and bringing the aircraft to a stop 500 meters from the threshold.
The investigation
SACAA AIID investigators examined the flight sequence, the aircraft's mechanical state, and the training objectives. The investigation established that the flight was specifically designed to simulate heavy-load operations as part of the student's conversion process. The inquiry reviewed the pilot's actions during the unstable approach and the subsequent emergency handling of the damaged aircraft.