What happened
On 12 October 2002, a private flight departing from Allemanskraal dam near Ventersburg was approaching New Tempe aerodrome for landing. As the pilot was preparing to touch down on Runway 01, the aircraft encountered sudden wind shear. This atmospheric disturbance led to a hard landing, which caused significant damage to the aircraft's propeller and landing gear. There were no injuries reported following the incident.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the flight conditions and the mechanical state of the Cessna 182M, registration ZS-FNX. Meteorological data at the time of the accident indicated CAVOK conditions, though a northerly wind was present at 15 knots with gusting conditions. The investigation also reviewed the maintenance history of the airframe, noting that the last Maintenance Program Inspection (MPI) had been completed on 31 January 2002. At the time of the accident, the aircraft had logged 5811.6 airframe hours, approximately 45.6 hours since its last certified inspection.