2006 Beech D95A Training Accident in Atlantis, South Africa (ZS-FET)

Accident Overview and Flight Details On 25 April 2006, a Beech D95A with registration ZS-FET, operated by Cape Aero Club, crashed in the Atlantis area near Cape Town, South Africa. The aircraft was on a training flight from Cape Town International Aerodrome (FACT). The flight was intended to proceed to Delta 200 (FADX) and Fisantekraal (FAFK) before returning to FACT. The accident occurred at 1200Z in daylight conditions with fine weather. ## Occupants and Injuries Three people were on board: an instructor, a pilot, and a passenger who was also an instructor. All three occupants were fatally injured. The instructor was a 62-year-old South African male holding an Airline Transport licence with 9,300 total flying hours. The pilot was a 21-year-old Sudanese male holding a Commercial licence with 232 total hours and 5.4 hours on type. ## Wreckage and Impact Information The wreckage was located in bushes at GPS coordinates S33° 35.806' E018° 33.507', approximately 5.4 nautical miles north-east of FADX. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces. The undercarriage was extended, the flap lever was in the 20° position, and the control column was in the aft position with the yoke broken. The left-hand wing was destroyed, while the right-hand wing remained intact with wrinkles on the top surface. The turn and bank indicator showed the aircraft was in a left-turn attitude at impact. ## Investigation Findings The aircraft was not fitted with a cockpit voice recorder or flight data recorder. No emergency call was received, and there were no eyewitnesses. Radar recordings showed the aircraft disappeared from the screen when it went below radar altitude detection at about 3,800 ft. Engine testing revealed no signs of malfunctioning, internal damage, or resistance. Fuel drained from the right-hand tank was the correct grade with no contamination. Toxicology tests showed no alcohol in the specimens of either the instructor or the pilot. ## Probable Cause The aircraft entered a spin during a training exercise and impacted the ground in a steep nosedown attitude.