What happened
On 14 October 2002, an Airtractor AT-502B, registration ZS-OGA, was engaged in a commercial agricultural spraying mission. The aircraft was intended to apply insecticides to a maize field, departing from and returning to a private aerodrome located on the "Romance" farm.
During the takeoff roll, the pilot initiated rotation prematurely. This caused the aircraft to enter a wing-low attitude, with the right wing dipping approximately 20 degrees, before sinking back onto the runway surface. Although the pilot managed to briefly regain a flying attitude, the aircraft remained at a dangerously low airspeed, leading to sluggish flight control response. The aircraft subsequently settled onto the runway again and bounced into the air. During this second phase, the pilot could not recover the aircraft, which eventually struck a fence at the end of the runway and nosed over. The impact with a water-furrow caused the undercarriage to fail and the propeller to separate from the engine.
The investigation
SACAA AIID investigators examined the aircraft's maintenance history and operational status. The aircraft's most recent Mandatory Periodic Inspection (MPI) had been completed at 861.7 airframe hours, with only 16.9 hours flown since that inspection. Records indicated that all necessary Airworthiness Directives and Service Bulletins had been implemented.
While the operator held a valid Air Operating Certificate, the investigation noted that the specific aircraft, ZS-OGA, was not authorized on that certificate. No injuries or fatalities were reported in the incident.