What happened
On 30 May 2007, a pilot was participating in a coastal flying tour along the South African east coast, traveling from the Sundays River area toward Durban. The flight was part of a group of five pilots, with the intention of landing at Cannon Rocks. During the flight, the pilot of the PAP – 1400 R125 failed to reach the destination, and subsequent attempts to contact him via radio were unsuccessful.
A search operation led by the South African Police Services began on 31 May 2007. After 12 days, the pilot's body was discovered near Island View, close to Alexandria, in the Eastern Cape. The aircraft had impacted the terrain among sand dunes, resulting in one fatality.
The investigation
Investigators examined the wreckage of the PAP – 1400 R125 and recovered data from a Garmin Foretrex 201 GPS unit. The GPS logs indicated that at approximately 1534Z, the aircraft's flight path underwent a violent change. The data showed a sudden decrease in speed followed by a dramatic 360-degree rotation and a rapid loss of altitude. Specifically, the aircraft entered a dive of 15 metres per second, losing a total of 81 metres of altitude within an 8-second window before hitting the ground.
The investigation also looked at the condition of the wing, which showed evidence of ripping, burning, and a line-over on the left side. While the pilot attempted to deploy the reserve parachute, the handle was found at the impact site, indicating the parachute had not fully deployed before the collision.
Findings
- The pilot was flying at an altitude of approximately 158 metres, which was only slightly above the height of the surrounding sand dunes.
- The primary cause of the accident was a wing collapse likely triggered by intense rotor streaming caused by winds blowing inland from the sea.
- This collapse led to a high-speed spiral dive that the pilot could not recover from due to insufficient altitude.
- The impact caused significant damage to the engine frame, propeller, and mountings.
Safety action
- Pilots operating powered paragliders should maintain greater altitude when flying over mountains or sand dunes to mitigate the risks of rotor streaming.
- Pilots undertaking long-distance trips should implement more rigorous flight planning, especially when navigating unfamiliar terrain, and should designate specific, identified landing sites.