What happened
On September 28, 2002, a Cessna 402B, registration ZS-MDI, was conducting a positioning flight from Lanseria Airport to Ulusaba. The aircraft was operated by a single pilot on a commercial license. During the landing sequence on Runway 19 at Ulusaba, the aircraft touched down and began its landing roll. Approximately 300 meters after the wheels met the runway, several warthogs suddenly entered the runway from the left side, directly in the aircraft's path.
The investigation
An investigation into the incident established that the pilot, while attempting to avoid the animals, applied power to the engines to perform evasive maneuvers. This action caused the aircraft to veer toward the left side of the runway. During this maneuver, the aircraft left the paved surface and struck a drainage ditch. The impact with the ditch caused the nose gear assembly to fail and resulted in the propellers striking the ground. The aircraft eventually came to a stop on the left side of the runway, roughly 300 meters from where it had originally departed the surface.
Findings
- The pilot was uninjured during the event.
- The Cessna 402B sustained substantial damage.
- The primary factor in the excursion was the pilot's attempt to avoid a collision with warthogs crossing the runway, which led to the aircraft leaving the runway and hitting a ditch.