What happened
On 16 November 2003, a Cessna 177A, registered ZS-FJY, was performing a private flight departing from and returning to Ficksburg Aerodrome. While approaching Runway 26, the pilot realized the aircraft was flying too high on its approach path. In response, the pilot initiated a go-around procedure. During the attempt to overshoot the runway, the aircraft lacked sufficient airspeed to gain the necessary altitude to clear trees located at the runway's end. Consequently, the aircraft's undercarriage caught a fence, leading to a crash into a ploughed field where the aircraft ended in a nose-over position. There were zero fatalities and zero injuries among the three occupants.
The investigation
SACAA AIID investigators reviewed the pilot's credentials and the aircraft's maintenance history. The pilot held a valid commercial license with the appropriate type rating for the aircraft. The Cessna 177A was type-accepted in South Africa, and all mandatory Airworthiness Directives and Service Bulletins had been addressed. Maintenance records indicated that the most recent Maintenance Program Inspection (MPI) had been completed on 23 September 2003, with the aircraft having flown approximately 51.4 hours since that inspection. The investigation also noted that while the aircraft's operating organization had undergone audits in early 2002 and 2004, no audit was recorded for the year 2003.