What happened
On October 6, 2006, a Beech Baron 58, registration ZS-JPE, was operating a domestic charter flight departing from Lanseria Aerodrome (FALA) bound for Madikwe Aerodrome. During the takeoff roll, the pilot successfully became airborne and proceeded to retract the landing gear. While in the climbing phase, the pilot checked the aircraft's alignment with the runway centerline. During this maneuver, the aircraft suffered a loss of altitude, causing the propeller blades to strike the runway surface. Following the contact, the pilot managed to regain altitude, extended the undercarriage, and performed a landing further down the remaining runway surface.
The investigation
SACAA AIID investigators examined the aircraft and the circumstances surrounding the climb. The investigation confirmed that the aircraft, which had a total of 5,093.3 airframe hours, was within its maintenance schedule, with the last maintenance inspection completed shortly before the event. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were reported as fine. The investigation focused on the flight dynamics during the transition from takeoff to climb.
Findings
- The aircraft sustained damage to the propeller blades as a result of the strike.
- There were no fatalities and no injuries reported following the incident.
- The primary factor in the loss of altitude was that the pilot retracted the undercarriage too early, which created excessive drag and prevented the aircraft from maintaining its climb gradient.