History of Flight
On 27 July 2008, at approximately 1040Z, the pilot and passenger departed Port Elizabeth International Airport (FAPE) on a private visual flight rules (VFR) flight to the Jeffery's Bay–Paradise Beach area. The aircraft returned to FAPE around 1139Z, and the pilot contacted the tower for landing clearance. The air traffic controller instructed the pilot to hold and join as number two behind a local airline aircraft, Express 387. After Express 387 landed and exited Runway 26, the pilot of ZU-BEG commenced approach for landing on Runway 26.
During the landing, when the aircraft was about to touch down, the pilot encountered gusting wind conditions from the left, causing the aircraft to balloon. The pilot took corrective action, unintentionally over-correcting, and the aircraft bounced on the runway with a subsequent hard touchdown. This resulted in failure of the right-hand main landing gear ring shock cord and the left-hand shock strut. Separated components were found on the runway.
After the bounce, the aircraft became airborne again and drifted towards the grass area on the right side of the runway. The pilot applied full engine power in an attempt to go around but realised the aircraft was not gaining sufficient airspeed and decided to land on the grass. When the landing gear contacted the ground, the aircraft ground looped approximately 5 metres off the runway. During the ground loop, the left-hand wing sustained substantial damage and the nose landing gear collapsed.
Aircraft and Personnel Information
The aircraft was a Piper PA-22 (Tri-Pacer), registration ZU-BEG, serial number 22-4458, manufactured in 1957. Total airframe hours at the time of the accident were 4389.33. The pilot held a valid Private Pilot licence with 122.3 total flying hours and 16.02 hours on type. The pilot was 44 years old and wore corrective lenses. No technical defects were identified in the aircraft maintenance records.
Meteorological Information
At the time of the accident, wind was from 270° at 25 knots, gusting to 32 knots. Visibility was good with no cloud cover.
Damage and Injuries
The aircraft sustained substantial damage. No injuries were reported among the occupants or other persons.
Probable Cause
The pilot experienced strong surface wind conditions during landing and the aircraft bounced and landed hard and sustained substantial damage to the landing gear with an associated runway excursion.