What happened
On July 1, 2001, a Raptor Trike, registration ZU-CEX, was conducting a private flight from Aero 57 Aerodrome toward Orient Aerodrome. During the flight, the pilot experienced a sudden and total loss of engine power. In an attempt to maintain flight, the pilot tried to restart the engine, but the failure persisted.
With the engine inoperative, the pilot was forced to perform an emergency landing in the only available open field located south of the Pelindaba Power Station. During the landing sequence, the aircraft encountered rough terrain, resulting in substantial damage to the airframe. While the passenger escaped without injury, the pilot sustained one injury, specifically broken ribs and a broken leg.
The investigation
The investigation examined the mechanical state of the aircraft's engine and its maintenance history. At the time of the accident, the engine had been overhauled 68 hours prior, and the airframe had undergone its last annual inspection approximately 5.83 hours before the event.
An analysis of the engine's components was considered, specifically regarding the two-stroke engine's auto-lube system. The pilot/owner suggested that a failure in the rotary-cam oil pump prevented oil from reaching the rear piston's inlet manifold, leading to a piston seizure. However, an engineer specializing in Rotax engine overhauls noted that the specific cause of the piston seizure could not be definitively confirmed.
Findings
- The primary factor in the accident was an undetermined engine failure.
- The aircraft encountered rough terrain during the forced landing, which caused the structural damage.
- While a failure of the oil pump was proposed as a theory, the exact mechanical trigger for the loss of power remained unverified.