What happened
On 27 July 2008, a private Piper PA-22 was returning to Port Elizabeth International Airport (FAPE) following a daylight VFR flight to the Jeffery’s Bay area. After being instructed by Air Traffic Control to land behind a local airliner, the pilot attempted to touch down on Runway 2cap26.
As the aircraft approached the runway, it encountered unexpected wind gusts from the left. This caused the aircraft to 'balloon' off the surface. In an attempt to correct the flight path, the pilot likely over-corrected, leading to a bounce and a subsequent hard touchdown. The impact was severe enough to cause the failure of the left-hand side shock strut and the right-hand side main landing gear ring shock cord, with debris left scattered on the runway.
Following the bounce, the aircraft became airborne again and drifted toward the grass verge. The pilot applied full power in an attempt to execute a go-around, but because the aircraft failed to gain sufficient airspeed, the pilot opted to land on the grass. The aircraft then ground-looped approximately 5 metres from the runway, causing the nose landing gear to collapse and the left wingtip to strike the ground.
The investigation
An investigation by the SACAA AIID examined the sequence of events and the operational environment at the time of the accident. Investigators found that while the pilot was following instructions to join the landing sequence, the tower was simultaneously managing an emergency involving a separate aircraft, ZS-ZGZ. This secondary emergency led to a lack of active monitoring of ZU-BEG by Air Traffic Control.
Technicians inspected the wreckage and confirmed that the aircraft was in a serviceable condition prior to the impact. The investigation also noted that the airport's Rescue and Fire-Fighting Services (RFFS) were initially unaware of the accident, as they had been positioned to assist the other aircraft declaring an emergency.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was strong surface wind conditions during the landing phase, which induced a bounce and a hard touchdown.
- The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the landing gear and the left wing.
- There was no injuries to the pilot or the passenger.
- Air Traffic Control was not effectively monitoring movements on the runway due to the distraction of a simultaneous emergency declaration by another aircraft.
- No landing clearance had been explicitly issued to the pilot of ZU-BEG at the time of the incident, though the pilot believed they were cleared to land following the arrival of the preceding aircraft.