What happened
On July 10, 2001, a CESSNA 172, registration ZS-LMI, was involved in a landing accident at Lanseria Airport. The aircraft, operated for training purposes, was being flown by a student pilot on a flight that originated and was intended to terminate at Lanseria.
During the final approach to Runway 06L, the aircraft encountered crosswind conditions, with surface winds measured at 330 degrees at 10 knots. The pilot attempted to maintain the aircraft's alignment with the runway centerline by applying left aileron and right rudder. While the aircraft initially touched down sequentially—left main wheel, then right main wheel, followed by the nose wheel—the stability of the aircraft was abruptly lost. The tail of the plane swung toward the right, causing the aircraft to veer left off the runway. The aircraft crossed a small ridge separating the runway from the taxiway and eventually came to a stop in a ditch located on the left side of the taxiway.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of the touchdown and the pilot's maneuvers during the crosswind landing. It was noted that during the excursion, the pilot received a radio instruction to shut off the magnetos, which was performed before the aircraft came to a complete stop. The investigation confirmed that there were no injuries and no fatalities resulting from the incident.