What happened
On 07 July 2002, an Atlas Kudu, registration ZS-WZP, was involved in a landing accident at Springs Aerodrome. The pilot, who also manages a local farm, was performing circuit patterns and practicing landings on the grass strip adjacent to Runway 03. This training was intended to prepare the pilot for a planned landing on his farm later that same day.
During one of these landing attempts, the aircraft drifted off its intended path and veered toward the left side of the runway. The impact of the excursion resulted in the failure of the right-hand main landing gear. The subsequent structural stress caused the wing strut to fail, leading to severe damage to the right-hand wing. Additionally, the aircraft's propeller and fuselage sustained damage during the event. Despite the extensive damage to the airframe, there were no injuries to the pilot.
The investigation
SACAA AIID investigators reviewed the aircraft's maintenance history and the pilot's credentials. The pilot held a valid private pilot license and medical certificate, with the appropriate type rating for the Atlas Kudu. Records indicated that the aircraft had been properly maintained, having flown only 10 hours since its last annual inspection on 20 June 2002. At the time of the accident, the airframe had a total of 4468.30 hours.
Findings
- The pilot lost directional control of the aircraft during the landing phase.
- A tailwind acted as a contributing factor, exacerbating the difficulty of maintaining control of the tailwheel-configured aircraft during the landing roll.