Aircraft Accident at Kriel Power Station Aerodrome (ZU-SES)

Incident Overview and Flight Details On 27 July 2007, a private flight operated by a pilot with a private licence departed from Pienaarspoort Aerodrome with one passenger aboard. The intended destination was Kriel Power Station Aerodrome. The pilot, aged 55, held a valid licence and had a total of 473.0 flying hours, including 51 hours on the specific aircraft type. The accident occurred at 0745Z at the destination aerodrome. ## Accident Sequence and Damage During the approach to Runway 22 at Kriel Power Station Aerodrome, the pilot reported encountering strong, gusty northerly winds. The pilot stated that these conditions made it very difficult to maintain the runway heading. As a result, the left wing lowered and struck the runway surface. The aircraft then landed hard on the nose wheel, which caused the nose landing gear to collapse. The pilot and passenger sustained no injuries. The aircraft sustained damage to the engine firewall mounting bracket, the left wing tip, the left stabiliser undersurface, and the propeller blades. ## Maintenance and Probable Cause The last annual inspection prior to the accident was certified on 15 November 2006 at 1,500.3 airframe hours by the manufacturer, Shadow Lite CC. The engine was overhauled during that inspection, and the aircraft had accumulated 44.40 hours of flight time since then. The investigation determined that the probable cause of the accident was the pilot losing directional control in strong and gusty wind conditions during landing.