What happened
On 30 March 2005, a Jabiru J160, registration ZU-FAT, was conducting a solo training flight departing from George Aerodrome. The flight plan involved a circuit to Plettenberg Bay and a return to the origin aerodrome. During the final approach to Runway 29, the pilot was flying with full flaps at an indicated airspeed of 65 knots.
Upon touchdown, the aircraft made contact with the runway on the nose wheel first. This initial impact caused the aircraft to yaw or snake along the runway surface. In an attempt to regain stability, the pilot applied the rudder and brakes; however, these actions inadvertently worsened the instability. The aircraft subsequently veered to the left, resulting in the left wing striking the ground. The impact caused the aircraft to pitch forward, leading the propeller to strike the runway surface. There were no fatalities and no injuries reported.
The investigation
SACAA AIID investigators reviewed the maintenance and operational history of the aircraft and the training organization. The aircraft had been registered in October 2004 and had undergone its most recent annual inspection on 15 March 2005. At the time of the accident, the aircraft had flown 18 hours since that inspection. The maintenance organization responsible for the certification held a valid approval.
The investigation also looked into the training school, which held a valid Aviation Training Organisation Accreditation and Approval Certificate. Records indicated that the last CAA audit of the organization prior to the event had yielded no findings. The pilot was a private pilot with 73.3 total flying hours, though only 3.7 hours had been completed on this specific aircraft type.